Denver and Boulder are back under a harsh spotlight after a House Judiciary Committee report said local officials ignored federal immigration detainers tied to people accused of violent crimes. The document, pushed by House Republicans, says the pattern went beyond paperwork disputes and raised serious questions about how sanctuary-style policies affect public safety and cooperation with ICE.
The report centers on several named cases that investigators say show a troubling reluctance to hand over criminal suspects to federal authorities. Among the examples highlighted were arrests involving child abuse, assault, domestic violence, and other serious charges, all while ICE detainers were allegedly left unserved or delayed.
One of the names cited was Fernando Barrios-Ramirez, a Venezuelan national arrested for sexual assault on a child. Another was Juan Andres Holguin-Mendez, a Mexican national whose criminal record was described as including arrests for willful cruelty to a child, DUI, malicious mischief, possession of a controlled substance, trespassing, disturbing the peace, and evading a peace officer.
In Denver, the report also pointed to Diego Cano-Diaz, a Venezuelan national accused of aggravated assault with a weapon, resisting arrest, and assault. Investigators said his ICE detainer was ignored despite multiple alleged protective order violations, and they said at least four other illegal immigrants arrested in Denver for domestic violence were also not turned over to federal custody.
The committee’s report did not stop at individual cases. It said Denver and Boulder prosecutors and jail officials have adopted policies that, in the committee’s view, make it harder for ICE to take custody of suspects by limiting notice, discouraging cooperation, and weighing immigration consequences when deciding how to proceed.
House GOP investigators also said they found internal material showing the Denver Sheriff’s Department gives written notices in a detainee’s preferred language saying they have “the right to refuse to speak to federal immigration authorities.” The report argues that such guidance puts federal enforcement at a disadvantage and can buy time for people accused of serious crimes to slip through the cracks.
Another example in the report involved a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member, Abraham Smith Gonzalez. Investigators said ICE received only one to two hours’ notice before his release, and that when federal officers later tried to arrest him outside a Denver jail in 2025, he assaulted one officer.
Boulder drew its own share of criticism. The report said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty limits information sharing with ICE and has even reminded defense attorneys of his office’s approach to immigration consequences before President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025.
The committee also said Boulder guidance tells attorneys to consider immigration and other collateral consequences when recommending dispositions. Republicans argue that kind of language shows the county is factoring immigration status into criminal cases in a way that tilts against federal enforcement and shields people who should be removed from the country.
According to the report, both Denver and Boulder also encourage suspected illegal immigrants not to cooperate with ICE unless federal agents present a judicial warrant. The committee says that posture slows enforcement, weakens communication, and puts local politics ahead of public safety.
Dougherty, who has already been targeted in the committee’s probe, pushed back hard. He called the report “a political stunt to sway voters before the midterm elections” and said his office’s focus is justice, public safety, and victims rather than “political theatre.”
His office also accused Republicans of twisting one case in the report, arguing that under Boulder County’s handling, the defendant was held accountable, sent to state prison for eight years, and still faces deportation after serving that sentence. The back-and-forth shows just how heated the fight has become over whether local cooperation with ICE is a safety tool or a political line in the sand.
