Denver voters were in a pretty decisive mood on Election Day, with the electorate making firm decisions on numerous ballot measures.
But a couple issues closely divided them, including Referred Question 2T. The proposal would allow non-citizens to work as police and firefighters, if they have proper work authorization.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, the measure was passing with 51.4 percent of the vote. Its margin of 6,000 votes may be enough to win, but it was a relatively close vote in a city that prides itself on supporting immigrants.
“It certainly brings to light the complex feelings voters have across the political spectrum but I’m hopeful for an expanding ‘Yes’ as more results drop because it is the right thing to do and because I support our immigrant community deciding their careers for themselves,” wrote Councilmember Jamie Torres in a text message to Denverite.
Torres co-sponsored the measure with council president Amanda Sandoval. They said the city’s current policy, which forbids non-citizens with work authorization from taking police and fire jobs, violates federal law.
Torres told Denverite the measure faced a two-front battle from anti-immigration opposition and progressive voters who didn’t want the police department to grow.
Some immigration advocates aren’t worried about the close vote.
President-elect Donald Trump centered immigration throughout the campaign. And while Colorado overwhelmingly voted against Trump, a trend that bucked a national pattern, the state has taken on a prominent role in his campaign’s messaging.
In his late-campaign rally on the outskirts of Aurora, Trump said he would launch a mass arrest and deportation program named “Operation Aurora,” as he painted a violent image of immigration in Colorado.
Raquel Lane-Arellano, the communications manager for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, said he was concerned about xenophobia exhibited by Trump and his supporters, but didn’t see that manifest in the polls in Colorado.
“We’re heartened that Colorado voters rejected hateful rhetoric and voted to protect immigrant families – even after Trump chose to focus his disinformation campaign and mass deportation plan against immigrants in Aurora,” Lane-Arellano said.
If 2T passes, non-citizens with certain work and residency qualifications could apply for roles in the police and fire departments. Applicants would still need to meet hiring standards that apply to all potential applicants for police and fire departments, including age and education requirements, physical and mental tests and background checks.
In 2016, the Denver Sheriff’s Department settled a lawsuit for $10,000 after the U.S. Justice Department found the department required applicants to be U.S. citizens to apply—a requirement that has since been lifted for that agency. Other neighboring cities, including Aurora, already allow qualified non-citizens to work in police and fire departments.
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