Colorado community threatens to fine, seize buses that drop off illegal immigrants: 'No more freeloading'
Bus companies could be fined $1,000 per passenger under Douglas County's new ordinance
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One county in Colorado is taking direct action to combat the migrant crisis, putting bus companies on notice not to stop or drop off illegal immigrants in their community.
Douglas County, Colorado, Commissioner George Teal said his community, which is home to a large Republican population, is not a sanctuary city and that the new ordinance is reflective of that.
"No more freeloading," Teal told "Fox & Friends" co-host Lawrence Jones on Thursday. "We thought this ordinance was required to make sure that we can keep our community safe."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Under the ordinance, buses dropping off "commercial passengers" in "unplanned locations" in Douglas County could face fines up to $1,000 per passenger and buses may be seized by local law enforcement.
The Douglas County, Colorado, ordinance seeks to discourage bus companies from dropping off migrants in the area.
The legislation comes as Colorado communities try to distance themselves from Denver, which advertised itself as a sanctuary city and is now flooded with migrants.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Denver got on the bandwagon of the anti-Trump fad of declaring a sanctuary city early, among Democrat cities across the nation," Teal said. "We're not a Democrat county. We're a community that is mostly Republican. We were never going to be a sanctuary county."
Local officials in Monument went so far as to take a formal vote to affirm the town’s status as a "non-sanctuary city" as fears grow about the possibility of migrants leaving Denver for nearby communities.
A migrant lies on a sleeping pad at a makeshift shelter in Denver on Jan. 13, 2023. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
The migrant crisis has reportedly put a financial strain on Denver, and the city is scaling back services as a result. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced in February the closure of four migrant shelters and the goal of reallocating nearly $60 million back into city services.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The migrants, Johnston assured, would not be kicked out after shelters close. He said they will simply be moved to different facilities.
Teal, however, remained skeptical.
"We know that it's just a matter of time before Denver starts diverting buses here into Douglas County. We’re to the south of Denver — right between Denver and Colorado Springs. And that's why we did this ordinance, so that, when that happens, we’re prepared."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Teal argued the "fad" of sanctuary city declarations was an attempt to push back against former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
"As we've all checked and found out, President Trump isn't the president anymore — at least not yet, again," he said. "Right now it's President Biden, one of their own Democrats. And yet they still continue these policies that they’re starting to regret."
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Fox News' Stepheny Price contributed to this report.