Colorado Police Begin Immigration Enforcement

by New America Media (reposted)

Wed, Jul 4, 2007 1:36PM

Wednesday, July 4, 2007 :DENVER -- A special unit of the Colorado State Police officially began enforcing immigration law, reports Spanish news service EFE in Diario Hoy. The Colorado State Police immigration unit has 24 officers and an annual budget of $2.2 million. Created by a state law last year, the immigration unit's tasks include the detection and arrest of human traffickers as well as verification of identity documents.

The troopers have undergone five weeks of training by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The course taught them about different types of identification documents, federal immigration law, civil rights and intercultural relations. The police can only exercise their new immigration authority in the normal course of their jobs, according to EFE. Captain Jon Barba, director of the immigration police unit, says Colorado is not a principal destination for human traffickers. But the troopers do encounter around 500 undocumented travelers on interstate highways weekly, he says.

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