This week, both Denver and Aurora's police departments have made statements confirming that they will not enforce any immigration policy enacted by President-elect Donald Trump.
While the statements are reassuring to many, the departments' policy is nothing new.
The Denver Police Department explained it pretty clearly in its statement:
“Immigration enforcement is handled at the federal level — not by local law enforcement. The Denver Police Department has not participated in those enforcement efforts in the past and will not be involved in the future.”
Aurora police made a similar statement on Facebook:
"Since the election, many questions have been raised about Aurora Police Department’s current non-enforcement policy on immigration. Specifically, people are asking if we intend to change our policy. The simple answer is: No."
The department's policy says "officers will not enforce, investigate or detain individuals based on their immigration status."
In addition to his infamous campaign promise that he would build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump said in a post-election interview that he would deport around 3 million undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Most analysts don't believe there are 3 million undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
Immigrants who are convicted of crimes have always been subject to deportation, depending on the severity of the crime and enforcement philosophy in effect at the time, but that isn't a police function.
