Selected quotes:

Colorado’s law is very clear. Law enforcement does law enforcement. In Colorado, law enforcement doesn’t do federal immigration enforcement. The line is when a sheriff’s deputy, in this case, actually detain somebody in a vehicle for the purpose of enabling federal immigration enforcement to detain that person.

At that point, you’re not operating as a Colorado law enforcement anymore, because there was no Colorado law that was determined to be violated.

…

It’s very important to note here, this wasn’t about community safety. There was no basis for concern that she had committed any crime, posed any threat to public safety.

When there are people who commit violent crimes, crimes that warrant being deported, Colorado law enforcement routinely will share information, as provided under Colorado law, so that ICE can do their job and deport people who are dangerous. But this was a case of someone who hadn’t done anything wrong, didn’t pose any threat to public safety.

In that case, Colorado law enforcement shouldn’t take it upon an individual to go ahead and start acting as if you’re doing federal immigration enforcement solely for purposes of enforcing immigration law, which is totally federal, not for purposes of keeping communities safe. That’s what a state’s job is.

…

We in Colorado cooperate all the time with federal law enforcement partners. And if someone is here without authorization and they have done harmful, dangerous actions, they should be held to account. But what Colorado law says is, we need our law enforcement focused on law enforcement. We don’t have enough law enforcement officers in Colorado.

That’s a public policy decision that we’re making not to do the federal government’s work. It’s their job to do that work.

Phil Weiser, Attorney-General of Colorado