Denver Mayor Mike Johnston just dropped a major executive order, making it clear that federal immigration agents are now banned from city property, as reported by The Hill. This bold move also mandates that Denver law enforcement step up to protect protesters.
The order requires Denver police and sheriff’s deputies to document federal immigration officers using body cameras. Plus, they’re now obligated to provide life-saving aid to anyone harmed by federal officers. They are also supposed to “intervene in instances of force that could cause death or serious bodily injury by immigration enforcement agents.”
Mayor Johnston himself weighed in, stating, “We seek not to provoke but to protect.” He added that in a time of great fear, Denverites need to know there are still those they can trust and lines that simply can’t be crossed. He emphasized that the city’s law enforcement and legal teams will defend civil liberties and, if necessary, step in to protect residents’ lives and safety. “This is our city, and we will defend the rights of every person in it,” he concluded.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t holding back on its opinion of the order
A DHS spokesperson called the executive order “legally illiterate,” which is pretty harsh, in my opinion. They stated that enforcing federal immigration laws is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II, and the Supremacy Clause. The spokesperson then went on to say that while Mayor Johnston “continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets,” brave law enforcement will keep risking their lives to arrest these “heinous criminals and make Denver safe again.”
It’s important to note that while the order is a huge statement, it’s largely symbolic. Denver and the state of Colorado simply don’t have the power to stop federal immigration officers from conducting their operations, even with existing sanctuary laws. Federal law, as the DHS spokesperson pointed out, generally takes precedence.
This executive order from Mayor Johnston comes amid President Trump’s ongoing immigration crackdown in Democratic-led states across the country. We’ve seen similar pushback in Minnesota, where officials accused the administration of federal overreach. This situation was made even more intense by the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis. The outcry grew even louder after Trump administration officials accused them of “domestic terrorism.”
Denver isn’t alone in this fight; other states are also taking action on how local law enforcement will interact with ICE. Earlier in May, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a bill into law that bans cooperation agreements between sheriffs and ICE. Wicomico County Sheriff Michael Lewis, however, accused the new law of putting “politics over public safety.”
Democratic lawmakers have also called for significant reform within DHS and ICE. While some House Democrats backed an appropriations bill to fund DHS last month, Pretti’s tragic death caused some Democratic senators to pull their support for the bill.
Published: Feb 27, 2026 02:30 pm