In this time of great uncertainty for migrants who have recently arrived from other countries, people are seeking any credible information about how local law enforcement views its role in the federal immigration crackdown.
At the African Leadership Group’s “Know Your Rights” event on Feb. 19, elected officials, legal experts, and Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain provided the 75-plus people in attendance with information as well as some reassurances that matters aren’t as dire as rumors might suggest.
A representative from the office of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser detailed actions the state is taking to counteract the slew of executive orders issued by President Donald J. Trump in the first days of his second term. May of those actions are likely illegal, and several states have filed lawsuits to stop them.
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a longtime ALG friend and partner, sent a video greeting. “My office is doing everything possible to make sure that we are protecting our community, that we are putting out information about your rights, your resources, and what you can do to protect yourself and assert your rights as a member of this community and as a resident of this country,” Crow said.
Chief Chamberlain stressed the importance of sourcing information about immigration from credible sources. “A lot of the so-called activists are saying all these things that are occurring and happening, and they’re misinformed, they’re ill-informed, and they’re basically causing hysteria instead of easing trauma,” Chamberlain said.
The Aurora police are not interested in acting as an arm of federal immigration authorities Chamberlain said, but of helping stop victimization among migrants as well as other Aurora residents.
“i want to make sure everybody here, whether you’re documented or undocumented, knows that you can trust your municipal law enforcement agency, because that’s what we are here for,” Chamberlain said. “We are here to serve you. it doesn’t matter your status. Again, we are not here to get people just based on your immigration status. We are here to serve you and to help you.”
Chamberlain said that local police and federal immigration authorities are “focusing on are the people that are involved in criminal activity. The people that are victimizing people, the people that are brutalizing people.”
He said he is concerned that migrants who are victims of criminals might be afraid to report their victimization to police because of unfounded fears about immigration enforcement. He urged people to report crimes, rather than hiding in fear.
“I can tell you 100 percent that this department is hear to serve you,” he said.
