Colorado Voters Will Decide on ICE Reporting Mandate, LGBTQ+ Advocates Say ‘No’

One of Colorado’s proposals on the ballot in November 2026 effectively overturns existing Colorado law by mandating ICE cooperation that the state has deliberately declined to require.

Currently known as Ballot Initiative #95, "Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements to Federal Authorities," the measure would amend the Colorado Constitution to require law enforcement to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within 72 hours of charging, not convicting, an undocumented person for violent crimes or if they have previous offenses.

Rocky Mountain Equality, an LGBTQ+ community and advocacy organization, today announced its opposition to Ballot Initiative #95, adding the measure to its Hands Off Colorado campaign opposing other initiatives that would restrict healthcare options for transgender youth and their ability to participate in sports. 

"This initiative is not about public safety, it's about fear and targeting," said Bruce Parker, executive director of Rocky Mountain Equality. "Reporting someone to ICE the moment they are charged, before any conviction, before any due process, is a dangerous overreach that will make our communities less safe, not more. In fact, we have absolutely no reason to believe that the paramilitary, masked, and armed force known as ICE is capable of making any community safer.”

Initiative #95 qualified for Colorado ballots in late January and has drawn criticism from Rocky Mountain Equality and other organizations for targeting immigrants.

"LGBTQ+ people are immigrants, and immigrants are an integral part of communities across our state. These misleading policies are modeled after national attacks, and they don't reflect Colorado values like fairness, freedom, and the belief that everyone should have the chance to live their lives without government interference,” said Parker.

Rocky Mountain Equality urges Colorado voters to vote NO on Initiative #95 in November 2026 and will continue to focus on voter education, grassroots organizing, and coalition building in opposition to all three initiatives.