Fear of deportation is getting in the way of justice in Denver, as shown by four cases of domestic abuse being dropped, NPR reports, since President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration.
According to Denver City Attorney Kristin Bronson, members of Denver’s immigrant community are scared that they’ll be seen by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they take their cases to court, NPR reports. Unsuprisingly, this has resulted in immigrants being too afraid to report crimes or act as witnesses in court proceedings.
A video recently surfaced showing three ICE officials waiting inside a Denver courthouse to apprehend an undocumented immigrant. It proved that officers are arresting individuals wanted for violating immigration policies and finding them through the court process.
Attorney Hans Meyer, who appears in the video asking the officials to identify themselves as ICE workers and whether they have warrants, says ICE officials are being “opaque” with their operations, unlike other law enforcement jurisdiction, reports Denver News Channel 7.
“ICE’s actions destroy the trust that Denver law enforcement agencies have worked so hard to build with immigrant and refugee community members,” Meyer told Denver News Channel 7. “When people do not feel safe resolving cases or appearing in court, when people are afraid to call the police to report crimes for fear of having to come to court as witnesses, and when people no longer feel safe appearing for their rehabilitative probation meetings, that makes everyone in Denver less safe.”
Bronson agrees and believes members of the Denver community should be able to feel safe to come forward if they are victims or witnesses of crimes.
“Our police department doesn’t care whether people are documented or undocumented,” Bronson told 9News. “Whether they are citizens of the U.S or not. If they are living here or traveling through Denver, they are entitled to the protection from our police department and sheriff’s department.”
According to NPR, while schools, churches and hospitals are all considered “sensitive areas” by the Department of Homeland Security, courthouses are not. Since the video surfaced and proved the presence of ICE officials, undocumented immigrants in Denver don’t feel safe bringing their cases to court. As a result, violent offenders from the four dropped domestic violence cases have faced no consequences for their crimes—without testimony from victims, they couldn’t be charged.
“We need to maintain the distinction between the federal role and the local role and if we do not do that and that line becomes blurred, victims are no longer willing to come forward, witnesses are no longer willing to come forward, and that’s trust that’s so important to the law enforcement relationship erodes,” Bronson told Denver News Channel 7.