GOP lawmakers denounced a Democrat plan for state-sponsored recruitment of migrant workers from Mexico, saying it risks making Colorado an immigration magnet -- and even a sanctuary for illegal aliens. Republicans say the proposal is another attempt by Democrats to backslide from recent legislative efforts to curb the flow of illegal immigrants to the state.

The new plan, being proposed by Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, requires the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to cooperate with the Mexican government to grant work visas and provide housing for immigrants working on farms, construction sites and oil-fields.  The pilot program would also have Colorado establish a million-dollar employment office in Mexico and would require the state and employers to provide housing to migrant workers.

"Creating a magnet for immigration is not the way to alleviate the current labor shortage,” said Republican Sen. Greg Brophy, a farmer from the Eastern Plains. “This is sending the wrong message. We need to be more creative than just opening up a state-sponsored employment office in Juarez. That's throwing in the towel and saying, 'Come on in.'”