Tancredo Slams Hickenlooper and Ritter for Deaths Caused by Illegal Alien

Says blood is on mayor’s hands for ignoring 2006 sanctuary city law

( WASHINGTON, D.C. ) – U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) today criticized Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D-Denver) and Governor Bill Ritter (D-CO) for failing to enforce state laws against sanctuary city policies that resulted in the release of Francis Hernandez on multiple occasions and, ultimately, the deaths of 3 innocent people.

“It is the mayor’s responsibility to enforce state laws as they apply to Denver,” Tancredo said. “Since Denver continues to remain a sanctuary city, in clear violation of state and federal law, the blood from this incident is on his hands.”

In 2006, the Colorado Legislature passed SB90, a bill requiring all Colorado law enforcement to report possible illegal aliens to federal authorities for offenses that are more serious than traffic citations.

In 2007, out of the many thousands of foreign-born arrestees who go through the Denver city-county jail, only 2,088 were referred to ICE according to reports filed with the state Department of Local Affairs.

“Francis Hernandez was in custody in Denver but was not one of the cases referred to ICE by Denver police,” said Tancredo. “How many more innocent people must die before Denver gets serious about obeying the law?”

Tancredo also criticized Governor Ritter for not enforcing SB90, enacted in the 2006 special session of the legislature. Governor Owens signed the bill into law but the Ritter administration has merely winked at it.

“Under Governor Ritter, the state’s Department of Local Affairs has yet to withhold funds from a single city for non-compliance with the sanctuary city law,” Tancredo said.

“If police departments in the Denver metro area are refusing to comply with Colorado law in reporting individuals with questionable legal status, we need to know why and make sure those responsible for subverting our laws are held accountable,” Tancredo continued.

According to press reports, Hernandez has been arrested at least 20 times in the Denver metro area, 5 of which came after the sanctuary city bill passed in 2006. He was in custody in Denver and Aurora prior to this incident. Federal immigration authorities say he was never referred to them for deportation.

“If a careful examination shows that our laws are not strong enough in preventing these outrageous situations from occurring, Governor Ritter should act swiftly to press the legislature to pass tougher legislation,” Tancredo concluded. “As more information surfaces about Hernandez, I’ll be particularly interested in knowing who has been employing him for the past few years.”