Voces Unidas joined more than 45 organizations and hundreds of leaders from across Colorado calling on Senator Hickenlooper to keep his promises to the immigrant community and to lead on immigration reform.
Here's the open letter sent to Senator Hickenlooper:
The message U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper sent on February 4, 2021, with his vote to block vital stimulus payments to undocumented immigrants was loud and clear: I only care about you when I'm campaigning. After four years of relentless cruelty to our immigrant communities, Sen. Hickenlooper took a position to continue the egregious attack on immigrants by voting to deny stimulus funds and financial relief to U.S. residents with an undocumented status.
Sen. Hickenlooper’s campaign page highlights his past actions as Governor of Colorado to address immigration challenges by granting in-state tuition to DREAMers, granting driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, and opposing Trump's horrific decision to end DACA. Yet, in the midst of a public health crisis that has disproportionately impacted immigrant communities and people of color, the Senator made his own cruel decision. Sen. Hickenlooper voted to deny financial relief to nurses, teachers, farm workers, grocery store employees, janitors, parents and community members who continue to risk their health to secure essential services.
On the same day that Sen. Hickenlooper voted against offering economic contributions to the immigrant community, Governor Jared Polis released the first annual Colorado “New American Integration Initiative” report that highlighted the economic contributions made to our state by the immigrant community. Notably, $19.7 billion was spent by tourists in 2016 alone — while Sen. Hickenlooper was Colorado’s Governor — with immigrant workers providing a quarter of the workforce to meet traveler’s accommodations in tourism.
Approximately 19.8 million immigrant essential workers currently risk their lives under the constant threat of exposure. It’s been proven that immigrants are essential to Denver’s rapid response efforts and especially vulnerable due to gaps in federal relief packages, language access barriers, and increased risks of infection associated with frontline and essential work.
In the end, while this anti-immigrant amendment is dead, Sen. Hickenlooper’s symbolic vote remains on record — the message it sends is unacceptable. Sen. Hickenlooper campaigned on a promise to represent all Coloradans and help keep everyone safe, but his actions Thursday broke that promise. The senator’s “aye” vote to deny critical relief to people who need it most was an affront to every essential worker, every immigrant, and every Coloradan. It is not enough to praise people as essential. We must treat each other as such through our actions.
The Senator must immediately commit to supporting Colorado’s impacted communities, and take every opportunity to deliver necessary aid and protection to all Coloradans. Past promises and platitudes are not enough. If the Senator truly is "committed to reversing the Trump Administration’s harmful immigration agenda and helping to restore humanity to a broken system," he needs to do better than he did last Thursday. We need a senator who truly is “laser-focused on getting us through the pandemic, rebuilding the economy and finding a long-term solution to fix our broken immigration system.” We need Sen. Hickenlooper to keep his promise.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
Community Organizations:
ACLU of CO
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition Action Fund
Aurora Mental Health Center
Black Lives Matter 5280
Caravan For Racial Justice
Casa de Paz
Center for Health Progress
Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores
CLLARO: Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy, & Research Organization
Cobalt
COLOR Action Fund
Colorado Freedom Fund
Colorado Jobs with Justice
Colorado People's Action
Colorado People's Alliance
Defiende Nuestra Tierra
Denver Alliance for Street Health Response (DASHR)
Edgewater Collective
El Movimiento Sigue
Fort Collins Community Action Network
Fuerza Latina
Grupo Azteca
Hispanic Women of Weld County
Immigrant Legal Center of BOCO
Indivisible Denver
ISAAC - Interfaith Solidarity and Accompaniment Coalition
Latina Initiative
Latino Coalition of Weld County
Latinos Unidos
Lifespan Local
Mary of Magdala ECC
Mujeres de Colores
NAACP Boulder County
New Era Colorado
Northern Colorado Immigrants United
Philanthropiece Foundation
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
Progress Now Colorado
Stand for Children Colorado
Truth and Conciliation Commission
United for a New Economy
Voces Unidas de Las Montañas
Warm Cookies of the Revolution
Women's Lobby of Colorado
Elected Officials:
Hon. Irene Aguilar
Hon. Joseph Salazar
Hon. Polly Baca
Sen. Julie Gonzales
Rep. Adrienne Benavidez
Rep. Cathy Kipp
Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet
Rep. Iman M. Jodeh
Rep. Serena Gonzales-GutierrezAmanda P. Sandoval
Bill Gippe
Candi CdeBaca
David Ortiz
Emma Pinter
Jamie Torres
Juan Marcano
Meg Froelich
Michal Rosenoer
Rhonda Solis
Richard Garcia
Sara Loflin, Erie Trustee
Shontel M. Lewis
Steven Woodrow
Tay Anderson
Businesses:
Bridging Communication
Combi Taco / Stokes Poke
Felicidad X Fraser-Solak, LCSW
Hannah Gay Social Impact
Martines Muffins
Martines Muffins
Meyer Law Office, P.C.
NetLink, Inc
Nuevo Amanecer
Sacred Designs Healing Arts
Tara Seren llc
Yellow Scene Magazine
Community Members:
Adri Magnuson
Adriana Pilar Nieto, PhD
Adriana Soto
Alejandro Prieto
Alex Sánchez
Alexander Hutchins
Alexis Menocal Harrigan
Allison Shaw
Alyssa esposito
Amanda Graves
Amira Assad-Lucas
Ana De Casas
Andrea Martinez
Andrea Sandoval
Angel Malan
Azarel Madrigal-Chase
Blanca Trejo
Brandon Keao
Carolina Barbosa
Catherine Mueller
Catherine Shea
Cesar Prieto
Charla Wright
Chris Gaebler
Christina Espino
Cindy Peña
Claudia Farfan-Lorono
Colton Ortiz
Cris Sandoval
Crystal Araujo-Espinosa
Dalia Lopez
Dana Miller
Daniel Hoback
Darien Wilson
Dianne Archuleta
Elizabet Garcia
Elizabeth Steirer
Felicia Gonzales
Georgie Aguirre-Sacasa
Harriet Mullaney
Heather sabo
Heather Shea
Isabel Mendoza
Isabel Serafin
Jacob De Santiago
James Reyes
Jane Feldman
Janell Weber
Janet Johnson
Jason Muñoz DeLeon
Jesica Puente
Joan Harvey
Johanna Ulloa
John Ronquillo
Judy Alliprandine
Julie Schoenfeld
Karen Mortimer
Karen Tuddenham
Katie Kelly
Kelcie Boyd
Kristen Kofoed
Kyana
Lacey S Taschdjian
Laura Ferre
Leanne D Wheeler
Lorenzo Sanchez
Lu Wright
Lynn Stockton
Margaret Small
Marie Teottier
Marla Stauth
Mary Helen Sandoval
Mary Pridgen
Mary Wilham
Melissa Yang
Michael Encinas
Michael Himawan PT, DPT
Michael Lefsky
Michelle Kaiser
Miguel Baca Barragan
Molly Cooper
Neil Allaire
Nina Myers
Olivia Mendoza
Patsy A. Contreras
Ray Rodriguez
Robin Walter
Ruth Simonson
Samantha Wittrock
Sarah Foster
Sarah Parady
Sarah Zuehlsdorff
Shari Leyshon
Sheccid Alcaraz-Soto
Shelle Pennington
Sofía Solano
Sofia Wolfe
Sol Sandoval
Soledad Sandoval Tafoya
Stephanie Torres
Steve Chavez, Esq.
Susan Kenney
Susan Ogilvie
Sybenie Hernandez
Terri Robles
Theresa Boakye
Valeria Morales-Rivas
Victor Prieto
Wendy McCann
Angel Sanchez
Barbara Jabaily
Charles Gilford
Guadalupe A Solis
James Gilligan
Josette Jaramillo and Dennis Dougherty
Karen A Wagner
Kerry Kramer
Laura Peniche
LAURA Richards
Mandy Blumreich
Mark Wideman
Martin Frias
Neil Allaire
Nicholas Marquez
Philip True
Ramon Del Castillo
Vanessa Quintana
Religious Organizations:
Mountain View Friends Meeting/Peace and Justice Committee
Boulder Friends Meeting
Loretto Community
Mary of Magdala Ecumenical Catholic Communion
The Refuge
Center for Inner Peace
Circle of the Raven's Call
**List not complete. As of Feb. 7, 2021.