Boulder is informally a sanctuary or welcoming city. The Colorado Trust Act partially limits local cooperation with federal immigration detainers. Boulder Police follow city policy not to enforce civil immigration status.
Colorado's Trust Act, codified at CRS §24-76.6-101 and following, prohibits state and local probation officers from arresting or detaining people based solely on civil immigration detainers and limits law enforcement information-sharing with ICE. Boulder reinforces this through internal Boulder Police Department policy that bars officers from inquiring about immigration status during routine encounters and from holding individuals beyond their criminal release date for ICE purposes. The city has declared itself welcoming through council resolution rather than a sanctuary code provision, which keeps the policy flexible while aligning with Trust Act compliance and constitutional limits on commandeering local resources.
Trust Act violations expose officers and agencies to civil liability and state penalties. Boulder internal policy breaches trigger department discipline and city civil rights office review.
See how Boulder's sanctuary policy preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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