Thread: Gov Ritter refuses to enforce Colorado’s illegal immig law

Governor Ritter refuses to enforce Colorado’s illegal immigration law
John Keitel

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is refusing to enforce Colorado 2006 HB 1023. This bill requires government agency workers to check an applicants immigrations status with the federal online system called SAVE (systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements). This is a big issue for Coloradans who understand the impact this has on our states ability to provide services to its legal residents.

According to the Denver Post, February 6, 2008, approximately 500,000 illegal aliens are in Colorado. This annually costs Coloradans $564.1 million for education, $38.4 million for medical costs, and $20 million for prisons. When you add the costs of free breakfasts, lunches, lost taxes of under the table wages, unemployment to illegals, and the unemployment of Coloradans whose jobs have been taken by the illegal workforce, illegal immigration cost the taxpayers of Colorado $1 BILLION ANNUALLY. This is just the money, the illegals are also causing untold strife from drunk driving deaths, rapes, drug trafficking, and murders.

Colorado Springs, a city of less that 500,000 has an average of 100 illegal aliens in its jail system each day. Each prisoner costs Colorado Springs about $52.00/day, which at an average of 100 prisoners/day costs $156,000/month, and $1,872,000 annually. The Colorado Springs police helicopter coverage was recently in jeopardy of being cut completely. The service was saved by cutting 1100 flying hours, saving $130,000, making the cost $359,700 annually. This leaves the city vulnerable to crime as each helicopter provides the coverage of 10 ground units. This shows that Colorado Springs must pay for the care of illegal immigrants but cut the police force, outrageous!

HB 1023 was passed in 2006 to require Colorado assistance agencies to make applicant provide proof of citizenship when applying for assistance. Some of the programs affected are: In-state college tuition, Federal and state financial aid for colleges, College Opportunity Fund (state-funded college tuition stipends), Medicaid,• Unemployment benefits,• Colorado Workforce Centers (help people find a job or get job training), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (formerly known as welfare), Restaurant and liquor licenses, Business licenses,• Foster care and child care licenses, Low income energy assistance (LEAP),• any individual or sole proprietor who gets a state contract approved by the Department of Personnel and Administration, Old Age Pension - State Medical Program,• CHP plus (basic health plan that will apply only to children over 18 and pregnant women), Colorado Indigent Care Program (hospitals and clinics that get state money), will be required to go through the new Federal ID verification process, SAVE.

Governor Ritter refuses to enforce this law stating empty reasons such as it would cost more to enforce the law than the state spends on illegal immigrants. If this is true why are states like Arizona, Georgia, and Oklahoma enforcing theirs with excellent results. The results are a mass exodus of illegal immigrants from there states, saving their residents millions. Instead Governor Ritter would rather unjustly prosecute whistle blower ICE agent Cory Voorhis for exposing his actions to block enforcement then as DA and now as Colorado’s Governor. Voorhis provided public information requested by Congressman Bob Beauprez, then running against Ritter for the governorship. The information exposed then Denver DA Bill Ritter’s plea deals with illegal immigrants that gave lessor sentences, “agricultural trespassâ€

Time to recall him Colorado ... get his broke A$$ out of office

The last governor I ever heard of that publically said he would not enforce the law was George Wallace and they sent the national guard in there to make him enforce it.How could a governor get away with this-Hispanic influence has changed this state to lean democrat and given us Salazar,Aterrible US senator

Ritter is a democrat that won with support of rural republicans because he grew up in rural colorado and is pro-life.However, In campaign it was brought up that he was was known for giving plea bargins while he was a DA which allowed legal immigrants(committing felonies revokes citizenship and demands deportation) and illegals from being deported which he is continueing as governor -Unfortunatly,his next election is in 2010.I would think that any governor that says he is not going to enforce law would be obstructing justice breaking both federal and state law.