An official with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sent a letter to the Mayor of Denver, Michael Hancock, saying that searches carried out at courthouses in the state will continue, despite requests from local officials to end the practice.
In the letter, Matthew T Albence, the executive associate director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says that courthouse visitors are generally screened for weapons and other forms of contraband before permitted to enter. This decreases the risk to the person being arrested and also the arresting officers. Albence, who works in the Washington DC office of ICE, penned the letter on 25 May, and the Mayor’s office received it on Monday.
Although the letter was addressed to Hancock, Albence also requested it to be shared with other public officials. The letter was a response to a letter sent to the ICE Denver field office’s acting agent in charge, in April, by Hancock and several other public officials, including Denver Public Schools Superintendent, Tom Boasberg, District Attorney, Beth McCann, and the Denver City Council.
The letter claimed that public safety was jeopardized by the creation of an atmosphere of fear among immigrants in Denver because of the actions of federal immigration officials. The leaders of the city requested ICE to stop making arrests in courthouses and near schools, as well as ceasing to identifying themselves as police officers. The Mayor’s office intends to continue resisting efforts to force them to cooperate with immigration officials.