threatened to deploy local cops and thousands of Coloradans for a “Tiananmen Square moment” to stop the next administration’s strong immigration policies.
As a Coloradan, former Denver-area cop, grandson of an immigrant family and the next congressman for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, I strongly support a secure border and strong immigration policies, including immediate deportation for criminals or freeloaders.
For those who are contributing to our society, not causing problems, and want to legally join the American dream, I do not support immediate deportation or family separation. As the grandson of an immigrant from Chihuahua, I know that America must prioritize deporting gangsters, not grandmas.
The Denver mayor’s politically motivated and inflammatory rhetoric kindles unnecessary fear and intentionally divides our communities. Immigrants with legal status are a critical part of our workforce; my family is a testament to the importance of immigrants in America. We should not build a new immigration system based on fear — rather, facts and commonsense priorities.
When I was serving in the U.S. Army, we had a saying: “If everything is a priority, then nothing is.” Consequently, here are my top three priorities for addressing the immigration situation:
First, we must secure the border. Lawful commerce with Mexico is vital to our economy and must continue, but we must control what is moving across the physical border. Far too often, human and drug traffickers take advantage of the weak physical presence along the border, trafficking women and children or bringing fentanyl and cartel members into our communities. Cracking down on this is priority number one and until the physical border is under control, anything else is an exercise in futility. Deported individuals can come right back.
Next, we must fix and streamline the current immigration system for folks who want to come to America the legal way. In my district, an immigrant from Brazil has been working to get his citizenship for 17 years. That’s entirely too long for someone who is dedicated to following the rules and entering our country the right way, and it’s unfair that people like him are being cut in line by illegal immigrants.
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3:05 AM MST on Dec 8, 20244:37 PM MST on Dec 6, 2024Third, we must aggressively target and deport illegal immigrants who are committing other crimes. Time after time, we hear stories of illegal immigrants who have been repeatedly deported returning and torturing, raping and killing innocent Americans. Before we can even begin to think about deporting anyone else, we must crush the cartels, gangs and career criminals who are terrorising our communities.
What is not a top priority is illegal immigrants who have been here for a long time, are working a job and aren’t causing problems. Under current federal law, illegally entering the U.S. is roughly equivalent to a Class 2 misdemeanor. In Colorado, and most places around the country, a first time Class 2 misdemeanor is punished with a fine and probation.
America is a nation of laws, but also a nation of second chances. Someone living here illegally for years, but contributing to our society and not causing problems, should be treated like any other person who commits a first offense Class 2 misdemeanor: Pay a fine and be on probation until obtaining legal status. If they can’t or won’t obtain legal status, then they should be deported.
For these same reasons, I support the “Remain in Mexico” policy for immigrants with asylum claims. Under guidance from the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees, Mexico is fully capable of providing asylum. It doesn’t make sense for asylees to live off U.S. social services and on the taxpayers’ dime for years without a plan to gain citizenship. Mexico must be a partner, not merely a transit corridor that leaves the U.S. holding the bag.
Until America addresses these three aspects of the broken immigration system first, it makes no sense to focus on anything else.
As the Congressman-elect for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, it is my mission to protect my constituents while also prioritizing the safety and well-being of our communities from those who seek to harm, and I look forward to doing just that starting Jan. 3.
Gabe Evans, of Fort Lupton, was elected in November to represent the 8th Congressional District, which spans from the northeastern Denver suburbs to Weld County.
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