Two immigration protection bills passed by Democrats in the state legislature met different fates this week, with Gov. Jared Polis vetoing one and signing the other into law. 

Polis vetoed Senate Bill 5 on Wednesday, June 3, a measure that would have allowed people to sue federal immigration officers in Colorado civil court if those officers violated their constitutional rights. 

It was sponsored by Sens. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Reps. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, and Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins. 

Supporters of the bill said it was aimed at holding federal agents, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, accountable. The measure was passed following national backlash to the January shootings and deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, which involved federal agents. 

In a letter describing his reasons for the veto, Polis said the bill was too narrow and could weaken other civil rights protections if it were to be struck down by a court. Polis said the bill only applies to violations during immigration enforcement, and does not provide an avenue to sue the federal government for violating rights during protests, elections, prisons or in the workplace.

“It’s that narrow focus that unfortunately creates legal jeopardy,” Polis wrote. “I believe Colorado has a chance to get this right — and we must pass a broader version of this bill that protects all constitutional rights, including in the immigration context, that will serve to truly hold public officials accountable.”

The same Democrats who sponsored SB 5 tried to pass a broader version of the legislation that would have allowed lawsuits against any government employee, including local, state and federal officials, for any civil rights violations. 

That measure, Senate Bill 176, dubbed the “No Kings Act,” was killed during a committee hearing in May after two Democrats — Sens. Dylan Roberts of Frisco and Lindsey Daugherty of Arvada — joined the committee’s two Republicans in voting it down. The bill faced pushback from local governments, police groups and district attorneys, as well as from Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who criticized the legislation for being overly broad and said it would lead to a flood of lawsuits against local and state officials. 

Polis, in his veto letter, wrote that he supported that bill and that his office worked with sponsors on the legislation, which he believed “would withstand legal scrutiny.” Polis blamed “overly intense and misleading lobbying from local governments and public entities” for the bill’s failure. 

Polis, who is term-limited after this year, urged lawmakers and groups involved with that bill to continue working toward a solution. He also acknowledged the need to hold federal officials to the same standards as state and local ones, writing that “we have seen too many examples of senseless deaths and constitutional rights violations during immigration enforcement operations and raids in recent years, and there is an urgent need for federal immigration agents to be held accountable for these lawless actions.”

So far this year, Polis has vetoed 12 bills, the most of his tenure as governor. 

Alex Sanchez, president and CEO for the Western Slope-based immigrant advocacy group Voces Unidas, said in a text message that he is “deeply disappointed” in the governor’s veto. 

“This veto caps one of the most disappointing legislative sessions for Latinos and immigrants in recent Colorado history — and Democrats, who control state government, are responsible,” Sanchez said. 

Sanchez criticized a bill passed by Republicans and some Democrats that raises the hourly threshold for overtime pay for agricultural workers from 48 hours to 56 hours, which Polis signed last month. He also blasted Democrats for killing a bill earlier this year that would have required state and local law enforcement to arrest federal immigration officers who violate state law and prohibited state and local law enforcement from concealing their identity.

“Colorado’s Latino communities deserved strong leadership,” Sanchez said. “We got excuses instead.”

Polis signs bill on immigration detention facilities 

Polis did sign another immigration-related measure on Thursday. 

House Bill 1276 expands the state’s ability to inspect and regulate immigration detention centers. The measure allows the state to inspect detention centers’ food, water quality and other conditions, and requires those centers to pay for the inspections. Detention centers will also need to submit data annually to the state on the health outcomes of detainees and pass an environmental impact study.

Additionally, the measure bans local and state transit services from transporting immigrants for detention and requires state agencies to publicly disclose when they have received a subpoena from federal immigration officers. 

A previous version of the bill would have held state agencies, not just their employees, liable for violating state laws on immigration information sharing, but that provision was removed after bill sponsors said they heard concerns from Polis.

“We won’t let the federal government operate dangerous and inhumane detention centers without oversight, and our bill ensures facilities are regularly inspected,” said bill sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, in a statement. “All Coloradans deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and this law establishes some important guardrails for detention centers and safeguards Coloradans’ privacy.”  

The bill’s other sponsors were Weissman, Sen. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, and Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County. 

It will be much easier to watch University of Hawaii athletics this season, both in and out of the state.

Beginning this season, the University of Hawaii will move its broadcasts from Spectrum Sports to Hawaii News Now, a group of over-the-air stations owned by Gray Media. Gray will also have the opportunity to distribute some Hawaii programming on its stations outside Hawaii.

“This partnership is about maximizing exposure for our programs and ensuring every fan in Hawai’i and beyond can watch our games,” said UH Athletics Director Matt Elliott in a press release.

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Broadcasts on Hawaii News Now will include 110 home sporting events per year, including all available football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, and women’s volleyball games, along with a select number of baseball, softball, and women’s soccer events.

The announcement builds on changes made last season, when football broadcasts moved from pay-per-view to cable on Spectrum Sports. Outside Hawaii, broadcasts moved from the mobile-only Team1 Sports app to the more accessible free Mountain West app. The Mountain West is also in the process of launching a new, and likely paid, direct-to-consumer streaming service through the app for this upcoming season.

The University of Hawaii is part of a long list of sporting entities that have worked to make their sports properties more accessible in recent years. The old pay-per-view broadcasts long helped fund the extra travel required for other schools to play at Hawaii. This new partnership is expected to return the university $7.5 million a year, up from $3.2 million in the previous pay-per-view-focused deal with Spectrum. In addition, the university will receive additional media revenue by moving its athletics entirely to the Mountain West. Outside of football, Hawaii has long been part of the Big West, which has a far less lucrative media rights deal.

Several NBA and NHL teams have made similar decisions in recent years, including the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, which partnered with Gray Media to move all of their broadcasts over the air. Teams that have made the move have publicly expressed satisfaction with their decision despite earning less revenue than was the case through traditional RSNs.

MURPHY, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Water Resources sent letters to about 3,300 owners of trust water rights, warning of potential curtailment. Those rights were created in 1984 to balance agricultural and hydroelectric water use.

Officials predict Snake River flows near Murphy could drop below the minimum level of 3,900 cubic feet per second within the next month. If that happens, it would mark the first time summer flows have dropped that low since the 1984 agreement was established.

Hear some of the ways farmers have had to cut back on crops due to lack of water:

Idaho drought pushes Idaho farmers into a corner

If flows fall below that threshold, users could face curtailment — meaning they would be forced to stop diverting surface water and reduce groundwater pumping to comply.

The warning is already a reality for some Magic Valley farmers. Alex Joslin’s operation draws water from the Salmon Falls Tract, which has about 10 days of water left before his season will effectively be over.

“We’re running on about 13% of our water, so yeah, it’s a little tight,” Joslin said.

RELATED | Twin Falls faces second water delivery cut amid historic drought conditions

Instead of planting his usual crops, Joslin has planted oats as cover crops just to keep the dirt from blowing away.

“This would’ve been alfalfa. The field behind us, there’s a full swing pivot behind us. That would’ve probably been barley or corn, one or the other, depending on how much water we had to work with,” explained Joslin.

He now has a large swath of his land sitting idle.

“Yeah, I have 1,200 acres in oats this year, so there’s a lot of ground that’s just sitting— doing nothing profitable,” Joslin said.

Joslin said only a prolonged stretch of rain could change the outlook for the season.

“If we had two weeks of rain, just move in— that might not even be enough— maybe we need three,” Joslin concluded.

ALSO READ | Idaho farmers face tough choices to keep permanent crops alive during the statewide drought emergency

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