Weeks before an illegal immigrant threw a Molotov cocktail at a group of pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado, Democrats in the state passed legislation that would make it even harder to identify criminals like the man who told authorities he had been planning the attack for a year while illegally in the country.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national and illegal alien, is believed to have entered the United States on a visa before he was granted work authorization by the Biden administration, which he overstayed after it expired in March. Federal court filings say that Soliman not only admitted to the attack, but said that he wanted to kill all “zionists.”
Just weeks before the attack, Colorado Democrats passed legislation aimed at hindering Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ability to find and deport illegal aliens. The bill, signed by Governor Jared Polis in late May, bars law enforcement in the state from respecting ICE detainer requests, which the federal agency uses to gain custody of illegal aliens who have been placed in local jails after being arrested for crimes.
The legislation was marketed as a way to counter the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration by Democrats in the state.
“One of the reasons why I appreciate this bill so much is that it is one of few that is really taking seriously the crisis that the federal administration poses for immigrants in particular and for marginalized people generally,” said Democrat state representative Yara Zokaie.
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The law prevents city and county governments from sharing data, like identifying information and immigration status information, with ICE, making it significantly harder for the federal law enforcement agency to track down illegal aliens in Colorado.
It also imposes steep penalties on those working with ICE. State agencies and local governments could be fined up to $50,000 for violating the law, with the money earmarked for a state-run deportation defense fund.
Called the Immigration Legal Defense Fund, the initiative “provides free immigration legal services to help Coloradans and those detained in Colorado with their immigration court proceedings.” Potential beneficiaries of the program only have to demonstrate that they are in Colorado, have been placed in deportation proceedings, and cannot afford legal defense.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller pointed to “suicidal migration” policies as one of the factors that led to the terror attack in Colorado.
“A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien. He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit,” Miller said. “Suicidal migration must be fully reversed.”