Fears Of Deportation Alive Across Colorado
DENVER (CBS4)- There is a chill in the air for illegal immigrants living in Denver and around the country. The Trump Administration's posture is leaving those without proper documentation in fear of deportation.
CBS4's reporter Rick Sallinger spoke with a couple facing the issue head on. They walked out of immigration court into an uncertain future.
They spoke under the conditions that we not give the man's name or show his face because he is here illegally, but his wife Maria is a permanent U.S. resident.
"I want everybody to be safe. I want everybody to be here. This is our country," said Maria.
She said what is happening now is bad because this is a free country and those who came from Mexico should be allowed to stay. She says she does not care for the new American president.
Hardly a day goes by now without news of threatened deportations.
Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz says some people will not call 911 in emergencies because they fear immigration issues. He said they do not ask nor reveal one's immigration status.
"I want them to feel like, that they can feel safe in calling 911 and not worrying that when police or fire arrive, that they're going to be questioned about their immigration status," said Metz.
Mass deportations have occurred before. In 1950, more than 1 million people were sent back across the border during the Eisenhower administration.
Now under President Donald Trump, concern has heightened.
The Denver Public Schools is sending a message of reassurance to those without documents.
"We do no immigration checks. It's the law in our country that we provide education to the students who walk through our doors. We follow that," said DPS Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.
