Judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit against Colorado and Denver over immigration laws

Seth Klamann and Elliott Wenzler, The Denver Post on Mar 31, 2026

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DENVER — A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the Trump administration’s attempt to overturn “sanctuary” laws enacted in Denver and across Colorado that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

In a 13-page opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher ruled that federal authorities could not compel officials in Denver or at the state level “to implement federal regulatory programs.”

He fully dismissed the Department of Justice’s lawsuit, which was filed in May against the state, the city of Denver, Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and other prominent officials.

The dismissal is a victory for Colorado’s top elected officials and for the immigration policies they’ve enacted and strengthened in recent years — which federal officials deride as so-called sanctuary laws that shield immigrants without legal status. Those laws generally prohibit state and local officials from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or allowing the use of state resources for civil immigration enforcement.

Indeed, just as the Trump administration was filing its lawsuit last spring, the legislature passed a new law that further curtailed cooperation with ICE.

Echoing rulings from federal judges elsewhere, Gallagher, who is a Colorado-based federal judge, wrote that “the Constitution does not grant Congress the authority to ‘dragoon’ state officers into administering federal law.”

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