Denver passed a new law this week in an attempt to keep its immigrant residents off the radar of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Currently, immigrants who commit crimes pop up on ICE’s radar if their offenses carry a penalty of 365 days or more in jail. In the new law, petty crimes and first offenses now carry a maximum sentence of less than 365 days.
Federal law dictates that ICE will be notified even of immigrants in the country legally that commit a crime carrying at least a one-year jail sentence. Depending on the location, this means that immigrants face deportation even for committing the most minor of offenses.
