In a wide-ranging interview with the website Real Aspen on Friday, American Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo addressed a Colorado Independent story last week challenging his frequent assertion that Denver is a sanctuary city.
“We have lots (of sanctuary cities) in Colorado and this may be one, I can’t remember for sure,” Tancredo said of Aspen. “It is against the law – against the federal law and the state law – for a city to actually tell your police force or sheriff’s department that if you have contact with a person who is here illegally, you will not report that to ICE. That’s a sanctuary city. … There is a law. Enforce that law.”
Tancredo has repeatedly accused Denver Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper of turning Denver into a sanctuary city. A Colorado Independent analysis of Denver laws, police policies and detention and deportation statistics compared to other cities casts serious doubt on Tancredo’s characterization.
But Tancredo told Real Aspen that Friday’s Colorado Independent story was “hilarious” and questioned its motivations:
“He disputed a recent Colorado Independent report that challenged his view that Denver is a sanctuary city. He said that it is the practice of the police there not to report all illegal immigrants they come in contact with, which, in his mind, makes Denver a sanctuary city. The Colorado Independent reasoned differently. Tancredo called the Colorado Independent article ‘hilarious’ and said he has sent a letter to the website, which he noted is funded by left-leaning donors, and he hopes that it will get printed.”
As of Sunday evening, the Colorado Independent had not yet received a letter from Tancredo, who also told Real Aspen he didn’t seriously think he had a shot when he ran for president two years ago but was trying to get GOP candidates to take a stance on illegal immigration.
Now the former congressman is running for governor on a third-party ticket because the Republican candidate, Dan Maes, is incompetent.
“The difference is when I was running for president, I really thought we had candidates who were competent,” Tancredo told Real Aspen. “That’s not the case in this race.”
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