DENVER – On Monday, the Colorado Democratic National Committee delegation sent a letter to the state party presidency calling for “public censorship” of U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s first year.
On Thursday, the senator voted in favor of a non-binding amendment that would prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving stimulus payments.
The non-binding nature of the amendment means it is unlikely to have any impact on future stimulus plans: federal law prevents undocumented immigrants from receiving stimulus payments because they do not have social security numbers.
Joseph Salazar, a former state representative and member of the DNC, said that, non-binding or not, the vote sent the wrong message.
“We never thought it would go that far because that amendment went so far and at the bottom of a xenophobic road,” Salazar said. “Don’t throw communities under one bus, so you can prove the favor of known xenophobic and racist senators. Don’t do the favor and throw communities under one bus.”
The non-binding amendment was passed between 58 and 42, with eight Democrats joining the Republicans.
The Colorado chapter of the ACLU published a letter with 300 signatures stating that Hickenlooper’s non-binding vote sent the message, “I only care about you when I’m campaigning.”
“It was a vote against immigrants,” said Denise Maes, ACLU Colorado’s director of public policy.
Hickenlooper practically met with immigrant community leaders to discuss their vote. Maes said after the meeting, that it was still unclear why Hickenlooper voted as he did.
“I think his non-binding character was baffling, like why? Why side with an anti-immigrant initiative if he didn’t mean anything?” Maes said. “I think we are still disappointed with the vote and we wanted to let the senator know that we would be waiting for his future votes.”
Maes said Hickenlooper seemed receptive to his comments and concerns.
Colorado Jobs with Justice was one of 300 immigrant advocates who signed the ACLU Colorado charter. The coalition defends workers’ rights, according to executive director Pamela Resendiz.
“This vote seemed like such an easy decision for him without considering the stories of the components he represents,” Resendiz said.
A Hickenlooper spokesman stressed that the senator remains committed to the comprehensive form of immigration. The following statement was provided:
“Immigrant communities and undocumented workers are specifically at the forefront of our economy, now more than ever. I recognize how this vote has distorted this important fact and has fueled dangerous and damaging narratives about the undocumented community. We have had several productive conversations about this and I remain committed to working together to finally achieve a complete solution to our broken immigration system, including a path to citizenship. ”
– Senator John Hickenlooper
His. John Hickenlooper
Denver7 contacted the Colorado Democratic Party to comment and did not respond.