Accountability for Immigration Enforcement Abuses in Colorado

Immigrant families across Colorado’s Western Slope are facing a disturbing rise in immigration enforcement activity, including fake traffic stops, racial profiling, intimidation tactics, and detentions carried out without judicial warrants.

Because Voces Unidas also provides emergency immigration legal aid in rural communities, these trends are not abstract. Families contact Voces Unidas when a loved one is detained, when a worker disappears on the way to a job site, or when a vehicle is left abandoned on the roadside. The increase in enforcement across the Western Slope is being felt in real time.

In response, Voces Unidas’ policy team is helping to advance legislation this session to strengthen accountability and protections for immigrant communities in Colorado.

One of those bills is SB26-005, which would create a state-level remedy when constitutional rights are violated during civil immigration enforcement actions, allowing victims and families to seek justice when harm occurs.

SB26-005 was heard on February 2, 2026 in the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee, where Alex Sánchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas, testified in support.

“Families on the Western Slope are being detained through fake traffic stops — no warrants, no transparency, no accountability,” Sánchez told lawmakers.

Sánchez described cases involving workers targeted on their way to job sites, vehicles left abandoned after detentions, and the death of Delvin Francisco Rodriguez under ICE custody, a Summit County resident.

“Delvin ended up in ICE custody for months,” Sánchez said. “And now, he is no longer alive.”

“This is a pattern, and it underscores the need for a remedy,” Sánchez said. “SB26-005 will not stop immigration enforcement, but it will allow victims and families to seek justice when agents act outside the law.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB26-005 on a 5–2 vote, and the bill now moves forward in the legislative process as part of a broader three-bill immigration package being considered this session.

To follow Voces Unidas’ policy work and positions on bills moving through the Colorado General Assembly, visit our 2026 Bill Tracker for updates throughout the legislative session.