Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, signed an executive order Thursday directing city police to protect peaceful anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters and authorizing officers to detain federal agents who use deadly force.
The move is a sharp escalation in the city's pushback against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
Johnston said at a news conference that the order is meant to ensure federal agents follow the same standards Denver applies to its own officers.
"If we see any ICE officer using excessive force against a Denver resident, we will step in to detain that officer and remove them from the situation," Johnston said, Politico reported.
"We hold our own officers to that standard, and we will hold any ICE agent to the same."
Police Chief Ron Thomas stated that officers will refrain from intervening in authorized immigration enforcement activities.
"Federal agents are expected to follow local laws and public safety regulations," Thomas said.
"All law enforcement officers have a statutory obligation to intervene if they witness illegal or excessive force being used by any law enforcement officer, to include federal agents."
The order directs the Denver Police Department to protect peaceful protesters, provide emergency medical assistance, and de-escalate conflicts with ICE officers.
It also directs local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute any ICE officer who assaults, shoots, or kills someone in Denver.
The executive order also prohibits the use of city-owned property, including parks or parking lots, for immigration enforcement staging or operations.
Johnston said the order reflects lingering outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal agents deployed to Minneapolis last month.
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was killed Jan. 24 in Minneapolis during a confrontation involving federal immigration agents, and Good was killed Jan. 7 in Minneapolis after an encounter with an ICE officer.
Denver's announcement comes days after Trump, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, called on Congress to "end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals" and to enact penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal immigrants.
Denver was sued by the administration last year for what the government said was improper interference in immigration enforcement.
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit on May 2, 2025, naming Colorado and Denver officials and arguing that state and local policies unlawfully obstruct federal authority over immigration.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson criticized Johnston's order.
"ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities, and local officials should work with them, not against them," Jackson said.
"Anyone doing otherwise is simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens."
A similar law banning ICE from state property is being contested by the Trump administration in New Jersey.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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