(COLORADO) — Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell is introducing a new bill that could change sanctuary policies and affect Colorado as a whole if passed.

On Friday, Jan. 24, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) held a press conference to address the arrests of immigrants who were engaged in criminal activity in Teller County and were arrested. During the press conference, Sheriff Mikesell introduced Senate Bill 25-047, which he wrote with the assistance of Senator Mark Baisley for the Colorado General Assembly 2025 Regular Session.

The bill addresses measures intended to limit the enforcement of federal immigration law in Colorado and aims to repeal the laws formerly set by the legislature. If passed, the bill would allow law enforcement to work with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency.

“Last year, I went to the legislature and they wanted to tell me that we have no such thing as illegal aliens,” Sheriff Mikesell said. “We do have illegal aliens. What we requested was to deal with the criminal illegal aliens.”

Bill 25-047 would repeal the current law, Bill 06-090, which prohibits:

A person from being arrested while they are at a courthouse, or while going, attending, or coming from a court proceeding.

A probation officer or department employee from providing personal information about an individual to federal immigration authorities.

State and local government entities from contracting with a private entity for immigration detention services or entering into agreements for immigration detention services.

“My hope is that with this bill 25-047, we can actually get back to where Colorado makes logical decisions on dealing with criminal issues throughout Colorado,” Sheriff Mikesell added.

Meaning, that law enforcement would be allowed to work with federal immigration authorities. The bill states that these laws and the release of violent criminal illegal aliens ‘victimizes the very communities they are returned to and creates a feeling of fear within.’

“We have over time told everyone that these issues were going to occur and they have continued to occur,” Sheriff Miksell said. “Until now, because everybody is seeing it because it’s affecting communities so much in our state and I’m tired of having to sit with victims and explain there is not a whole lot we can do because of these laws that have been passed in Colorado.”

The bill would not give Colorado law enforcement the authority to contact or detain any individual without probable cause or without violation of criminal law, and it does not allow any round-up operations or stop-and-show-your-papers enforcement.

TCSO said they would build a coalition for sheriff’s departments, police departments, and local government officials.

“We are not going to back down from a fight that allows people to be victimized in the state of Colorado,” Mikesell said.