5 minPolitics
House GOP Report Accuses Denver and Boulder Prosecutors of Shielding Migrants from ICE
A 25-page House Judiciary Committee report alleges that Denver and Boulder district attorneys ignored ICE detainers for migrants accused of violent crimes, including child abuse and assault. Both prosecutors push back, calling the findings a political stunt.
Denver and Boulder prosecutors are shielding undocumented immigrants accused of violent crimes from federal immigration authorities, according to a new 25-page report released Friday by the House Judiciary Committee under Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. The report, part of an ongoing investigation into sanctuary jurisdictions, names specific individuals whose ICE detainers were allegedly ignored and accuses top district attorneys of helping migrants evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Among those listed is Fernando Barrios-Ramirez, a Venezuelan national arrested for sexual assault on a child. Denver District Attorney John Walsh disputed the report's characterization, telling Fox News Digital that ICE deported Barrios-Ramirez to Mexico over his office's objection, effectively setting him free and preventing a decades-long sentence. Walsh said his office prosecuted other cases in the report as well.
The report also names Juan Andres Holguin-Mendez, a Mexican national with a criminal history 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. He was arrested for damage to property. Another individual, Diego Cano-Diaz, a Venezuelan national with multiple alleged protective order violations, was arrested for aggravated assault with a weapon, resisting arrest, and assault. At least four undocumented immigrants in Denver were arrested for alleged domestic violence but had their ICE detainers ignored, according to the report.
In Boulder, Mario Hernandez-Quiroz, a Mexican national arrested for child abuse and failure to appear, was among those whose ICE detainer was ignored. Ignoring a detainer does not automatically mean the accused was released onto the streets, but it delays federal deportation proceedings and can allow the individual to remain in the country.
The report further accuses Denver and Boulder prosecutors of weighing immigration consequences when pursuing charges, and of being more lenient to avoid triggering federal immigration proceedings. House investigators said they obtained internal documents showing the Denver Sheriff's Department provided written explanations in a suspect's preferred language stating they have «the right to refuse to speak to federal immigration authorities.» The report also criticized Denver officials for providing insufficient notice to ICE, citing an instance where ICE received only one to two hours' notice before a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member, Abraham Smith Gonzalez, was released. When ICE officers attempted to arrest Gonzalez outside a Denver jail in 2025, he assaulted an officer, the report said.
Boulder County District Attorney Dougherty, who has already been subpoenaed by Jordan's probe, dismissed the findings as a political stunt. «This report is a political stunt to sway voters before the midterm elections,» Dougherty said. «My responsibility is to do justice, enhance public safety, and fight for victims. I'm not going to be distracted by political theatre or intimidated into abandoning my responsibility to protect the community and uphold the law.»
The report also claims Dougherty prohibits information sharing with ICE and that before President Trump took office in January 2025, he emailed Boulder defense attorneys to remind them of his office's policies, including consideration of collateral immigration consequences. An excerpt from Boulder County District Attorney's Office guidance states that attorneys should «consider the immigration and other collateral consequences to a defendant in recommending dispositions.» Both Denver and Boulder encourage suspected undocumented immigrants not to cooperate with ICE unless a judicial warrant is presented, the report said.
The findings intensify the broader national debate over sanctuary policies, which limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Supporters argue such policies protect community trust and public safety, while critics contend they allow dangerous individuals to evade justice. The House Judiciary Committee's investigation is ongoing, and the report is likely to fuel further congressional scrutiny and potential legislative action.
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