Immigration Reform 2008: Safeguarding Colorado Print E-mail
Awash in a wave of illegal immigration, our citizens should--at the very least--be able to expect their state government to safeguard basic institutions and services against abuse by those who have entered our country illegally. Our justice system should not be a revolving door for illegal immigrants caught committing yet other crimes, and our democratic process should be secured against fraud.

  • Public Safety. Few government responsibilities are more important than that of upholding public safety. Where illegal immigration impacts public safety, we have a duty to take action.

  • Refer a constitutional measure to deny bail to illegal immigrants being held in police custody on felony or DUI charges (Rep. Bob Gardner, Sen. Shawn Mitchell). Bail is a judgment that the party is neither a danger to society nor a risk of flight from prosecution. This proposal is based on the notion that an undocumented person has no legal right to be in this country, and when charged for a serious crime, that person presents a risk of flight. 
  • Integrity of Voting. Few rights in our nation are as sacred as the fundamental right to vote.

  • Requiring photo identification to vote at polling places (HB 1039 Rep. Ken Summers, Sen. Scott Renfroe). Currently, a copy of a utility bill, a cable bill or a telephone bill is sufficient to prove a person’s identity at the polls. That lax standard isn’t acceptable for an employer, for a bank or even for a liquor store: it shouldn’t be acceptable for our voting system.  [Postponed Indefinitely in the House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs]

  • Requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote (HB 1177 Rep. Frank McNulty, Sen. Andy McElhany). Only citizens have the right to vote in the United States. This proposal would ensure that everyone who registers to vote has the right to do so in the first place. [Postponed Indefinitely in the House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs]
 

Faces in the Crowd