On October 4, 2005, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, voted down a proposed "human rights" ordinance. The ordinance, two years in the making and written under the guise of protecting "immigrant rights", was in effect a sanctuary city policy for illegal aliens.
The ordinance would have severely limited the ability of city employees - especially the police - to check immigration status. It also would have required officials to recognize the bogus matricula consular ID (which is ironically illegal to accept in Colorado ) in place of a U.S. drivers' license.
It was a long City Council meeting in Fort Collins, an hour and a half north of Denver. After more than an hour dealing with zoning issues, the so-called "Human Rights Ordinance" was discussed. Three advocates for the Human Rights Committee presented their case for the ordinance. Then individuals in the audience were allowed to speak. Over 50 people testified on both sides of the issue. Many people gave rock-solid testimony why the ordinance was wrong. Testimony in favor of the ordinance relied upon emotionalism and tired platitudes, continually emphasizing that the ordinance had nothing to do with immigration.
This process took several hours, after which Council members spoke. One Council member commented: "I can not support deceptive legislation like the Healthy Forests or Clear Skies initiatives that are the opposite of their titles. Similarly, immigration is mentioned something like 20 times in the ordinance. This ordinance has nothing to do with human rights - it is an immigration ordinance." Another member stated: "I have been dealing with this for two years, now. There are better ways to deal with suspected human rights issues other than by passing more legislation." A vote was taken and the proposed Fort Collins Sanctuary City ordinance was killed in a 5 to 2 vote.
The ordinance represented two years of effort by the Human Rights Committee and open borders proponents. Opponents only found out about the effort a few months before the October City Council meeting, but nevertheless supporters were rallied throughout the area against the misguided ordinance. This defeat sends a clear message to other City Councils who may be considering similar ordinances.
Immigration sanity would not have persevered without the presence of dozens of individuals who testified against the ordinance - one must never underestimate the power of concerned individuals. The sovereign people of the United States, Colorado, and Fort Collins persevered and prevailed against the forces of illegal invasion, neo-Marxism, and open borders!
Read more about the ordinance and its successful defeat here.
Fred Elbel Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR)
