http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3622614
Article Launched: 03/21/2006 1:00 AM MST

legislature 2006
Immigrant, slave trade bills OK'd

A House panel backs a plan to target those who smuggle people into the U.S. after Sen. Peter Groff comes across evidence of the problem along I-70.
By Jim Hughes
Denver Post Staff Writer

Sen. Dan Grossman, D-Denver, listens Monday at the Capitol as Sen. Peter Groff speaks. Bills backed by Groff, D-Denver, targeting the smuggling of illegal immigrants and slave labor were approved by the House Judiciary Committee. (Post / John Prieto)

A Democratic senator's trip promoting efforts targeting immigrant smugglers turned into a real-life example Monday when his State Patrol tour along Interstate 70 came across a wrecked vehicle that authorities said had been carrying 17 suspected illegal immigrants.

Sen. Peter Groff returned to the Capitol just in time to present legislation on the subject to the House Judiciary Committee. The committee unanimously approved that bill, Senate Bill 206, and another, Senate Bill 207, that targets slave traders.

What the Denver Democrat had just seen on the side of the highway, he said, was proof of the need to police the flow of illegal immigrants through the state.

"This type of stuff goes on throughout the state throughout the year," he said.

Troopers told Groff that the passengers - there were no serious injuries in the accident near Byers - would likely be on a bus for Mexico by Monday evening, he said.

If SB 206 had been in effect, local police and prosecutors could have come to the scene to build a case against the driver, relying on the accounts of passengers, he said.

The bill suggests a specific "smuggling of humans" felony charge for so-called coyotes, who would be defined as anyone transporting illegal immigrants "for the purposes of evading immigration laws."

In SB 207, Groff proposes expanding an existing state law against human trafficking - distinguishable from human smuggling by the fact that passengers are not willing, he said. Currently, the law only targets the trade in children. Groff wants people "bartering" in adults to be covered, too, he said.

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials have been investigating suspected trafficking operations in Colorado for the past few years. Investigations have centered on massage parlors suspected of being fronts for prostitution rings that utilize slave labor.

If Groff's bill passes, the people running such rings could be charged with a felony.

"We know that we have an issue with trafficking in this state," Groff said. "So let's put this on the books."

Staff writer Jim Hughes can be reached at 303-820-1244 or jhughes@denverpost.com.