The Mancos Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to send a letter supporting three immigration enforcement reform bills proposed by Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet.
Trustees debated whether supporting the legislation was an appropriate role for the town before ultimately approving the letter. Trustee Daniel Hennek was the lone dissenting voice.
The proposed legislation includes the KIDS Act, TRUST Act and OPEN Act. According to materials provided to the board, the bills would establish standards for immigration enforcement officers, increase oversight of detention facilities, and place limits on immigration enforcement activities near locations such as schools, hospitals and places of worship.
Hennek argued that supporting the legislation could alienate conservative residents and said provisions in the KIDS Act would significantly restrict where federal immigration authorities could operate. He characterized the proposal as a partisan political issue and questioned whether the town should take a position on it.
Other trustees said the legislation reflected values already adopted by the town.
Trustee Max Loving said he viewed the proposal as an effort to promote transparency and accountability regardless of which political party controls the federal government.
"What I see in this is transparency. It's uniform following of laws, regardless of who's in power," Loving said during the discussion. "I think just talking about the legislation specifically, and not the current administration, is appropriate."
Mayor Cindy Simpson also expressed support for the legislation, saying she viewed it as an effort to require government agencies to follow established rules and procedures.
Following the vote, trustees directed Town Administrator Heather Alvarez to draft a letter focused on the legislation itself rather than any presidential administration. The board also directed staff to attach the town's values statement and send the letter to Colorado's congressional delegation.
The discussion came during a meeting that included public comment regarding reported immigration enforcement activity in Montezuma County. During audience participation, one speaker told trustees that a community member had been detained by federal immigration authorities earlier in the day.
Separately, the Colorado Rapid Response Network reported that volunteers witnessed what the organization later described as confirmed ICE activity outside the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office in Cortez on Wednesday. In a social media post, the organization said volunteers observed federal agents detain an individual who had been released from the county jail. KSJD has not independently verified either report.
The town's letter of support is expected to be drafted by staff and signed by the mayor.
