Sheriff does not violate Colorado law by holding prisoners for ICE
Teller County, CO, August 20, 2018– Late yesterday, District Court Judge Linda Billings-Vela entered an order denying the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction against Sheriff Jason Mikesell. The Sheriff’s position is that he has the legal authority to cooperate with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and detain persons for whom ICE has issued a detainer request and a warrant for the arrest of alien. The judge’s order allows the Sheriff to continue cooperating with ICE in this manner pending the trial on the underlying complaint. Below is a statement from Sheriff Mikesell:
“When the ACLU filed their lawsuit against us in July, they said, ‘Today, we sue,’ and I said, ‘Today, we fight.’
So today, we won.
We won the right to continue to protect our citizens. The district court judge ruled in our favor to continue cooperating with our Federal partners in this important law enforcement area. We are pleased by the court’s thoughtful and thorough review of the facts pertaining to this case.
This is not a political agenda; this is an agenda to protect our citizens. We believe there is a need to stand on morals and ethical values and not allow the ACLU to intimidate law enforcement agencies. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our commissioners and community and will always strive to keep and preserve the peace in Teller County to protect our citizens.”
The court’s order is included for reference.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Commander Greg Couch – PIO at 719-472-4347 or email at couchg@co.teller.co.us.
Follow @TCSOPIO for updates.
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