Latest news with #AxiosDenver
Axios
5 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: Colorado pauses campaign finance database after Minnesota shootings
The Colorado Secretary of State temporarily removed its public campaign finance database from the internet Saturday amid concerns it could reveal home addresses and other personal information about state lawmakers and other officials. Why it matters: The unannounced decision — first learned by Axios Denver — comes after a gunman targeted at least four Minnesota state lawmakers at their homes over the weekend, killing one Democratic representative and her husband and injuring another and his wife. Driving the news: The state's Transparency in Contribution and Expenditure Reporting database, known as TRACER, posts candidate filings that often include home addresses and personal phone numbers. Elsewhere in the system, it lists campaign contribution data that requires donors — including lawmakers — to list their names, full addresses and occupations. Secretary of State Jena Griswold ordered the removal after consultation with state and legislative leadership, a spokesperson said. The database went offline Saturday afternoon. It is expected to return after interested lawmakers file a request for the redaction of personal information, which is currently permitted in law. What they're saying: "In light of the weekend's tragic events in Minnesota and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of Colorado's elected leaders, the Department of State made a determination to take the public-facing campaign finance reporting website (TRACER) down briefly," spokesperson Jack Todd told Axios Denver in a statement. The big picture: The Minnesota shootings exposed the delicate balance between public safety and the personal privacy of state lawmakers and other top officials. Other states moved quickly to increase security by adding patrols near the homes of state lawmakers and removing online personal information, according to multiple media reports. The Minnesota state representative who was killed Saturday listed her home address on her campaign website. The other lawmaker who was injured put his home address on an official legislative web page. Flashback: In 2013, a parolee assassinated Colorado corrections chief Tom Clements at his home in Monument. Zoom in: The home addresses and contact information for Colorado lawmakers are not listed on the Legislature's website, which only discloses official phone numbers and email addresses. And many don't list home addresses on their campaign sites.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Polis sued over ICE data handoff involving migrant child sponsors
In the same week that activists sounded the alarm over a recent uptick in ICE arrests at Denver's federal immigration court, a senior state official sued Gov. Jared Polis, accusing the Democrat of aiding the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The big picture: The whistleblower lawsuit — filed Wednesday by Scott Moss, one of the governor's top labor officials — alleges that Polis ordered state employees to hand over personal information on residents sponsoring unaccompanied migrant children, despite laws the governor signed explicitly prohibiting such cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. According to the lawsuit, Polis' contested directive ordered staff to comply with a Department of Homeland Security subpoena or risk termination. Why it matters: The governor now stands further at odds not only with the legislature and local leaders who have long resisted federal immigration enforcement, but with his own record. Just weeks ago, Polis increased protections for immigrants. Now he is accused of undercutting them. Catch up quick: On April 24, Homeland Security Investigations subpoenaed the state of Colorado for wage data, leave filings, home addresses and more on 35 sponsors of unaccompanied minors. Polis' office initially resisted. Weeks later, however, the governor allegedly reversed course and ordered compliance, despite a 2025 law barring such disclosures without a court order. What they're saying:"Colorado is not a sanctuary state," Polis spokesperson Eric Maruyama told Axios Denver in a statement. "Helping our federal law enforcement partners locate and, if necessary, rescue children being abused and trafficked is not only in line with the law but also a moral imperative." Polis' office told The Lever, which first reported the lawsuit, the subpoena falls under a narrow legal exception for criminal investigations, and the law allows cooperation in such cases. Flashback: In January, Polis told reporters that Colorado's role was to assist with federal criminal investigations, not act as an "extension of the (U.S.) government" on immigration enforcement. The other side: In a statement to Axios Denver, Moss' attorney Laura Wolf countered claims made by the governor's office. "ICE never claimed nor showed evidence of crimes against children," Wolf said. "ICE admits it wants the state's help finding children" it already apprehended "to make sure they're 'cared for' and not 'exploited,'" but that "does not turn civil immigration proceedings into criminal investigations," she said. Zoom out: The alleged cooperation comes as ICE has ramped up arrests in Denver's immigration courthouse. There were at least eight in the past week, including a toddler and a 6-year-old, Jennifer Piper of the American Friends Service Committee told reporters Thursday. Piper and several immigrant advocates said ICE agents have been waiting in hallways, often in plain clothes, to apprehend people attending court. "What we are seeing here I have not seen in the 20 years that I have been a part of the immigrant rights movement," Piper said. What's next: Moss is seeking an emergency injunction to block the data release, while advocates are urging the state to strengthen its immigrant safeguards.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Trump's visa pause and travel ban leave Colorado international students in limbo
Thousands of international students at Colorado universities face new threats from the federal government. State of play: The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students — part of a broader effort to pressure U.S. universities and tighten immigration rules. It also issued a travel ban, effective Monday, citing national security concerns. The order fully restricts and limits entry from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The Trump administration also partially restricted and limited entry of nationals from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. By the numbers: About 10,000 international students were enrolled at Colorado colleges during the 2023–24 academic year, per NAFSA figures. The University of Colorado system counted 3,792 international students — including more than 500 from China — last fall across its four campuses, per CU data provided to Axios Denver. The University of Denver estimates it will sponsor more than 100 international students over the next academic year, spokesperson Jon Stone tells Axios Denver. Driving the news: On June 4, CU leaders issued guidance to international students and scholars from the 19 countries impacted by the new travel ban. "Given the rapid nature of changes in U.S. entry and travel restrictions, foreign nationals from one of the designated countries should exercise caution and seriously consider potential risks when deciding to travel outside of the United States." What they're saying: "We are monitoring closely the ongoing developments" at the federal level, CU spokesperson Michele Ames tells Axios Denver, noting how "difficult" it is to know how the visa changes and travel ban will affect current and prospective students. "Due to this uncertainty, we are focusing our efforts on supporting international students across all of our campuses as we all navigate these unknown waters together," Ames added. Meanwhile, DU is staying "in contact with all current and future students" about policy changes and has "also been in contact with our Colorado delegation about any potential impacts to the university," Stone tells Axios Denver. The big picture: International students are a major economic engine for college towns nationwide, including in Colorado.
Axios
05-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Former federal prosecutor Hetal Doshi to run for Colorado AG
Hetal Doshi, a former top antitrust litigator for the U.S. Department of Justice, is entering the 2026 race for Colorado attorney general, Axios Denver has learned. Why it matters: Doshi, who formally launches her campaign Thursday, joins an increasingly crowded Democratic primary for the open AG seat. Current Attorney General Phil Weiser is not seeking re-election as he runs for governor. The big picture: A first-generation Indian American and Denver resident, Doshi previously served from 2014 to 2022 as the assistant U.S. attorney for Colorado before becoming deputy assistant attorney general at the DOJ. In that role from 2022 to 2025, she led landmark antitrust cases against Google, Apple, Ticketmaster and RealPage — cases aimed at breaking up corporate power and protecting consumers. Starting in 2014, she also served on then-President Obama's financial fraud task force, investigating white-collar crimes dating back to the Great Recession. What she's saying:"As the daughter of immigrants, fighting for our rights is personal to me. That's why I've spent my career taking on the powerful to protect the American Dream for working families across Colorado," Doshi said in a statement first provided to Axios Denver. State of play: Doshi is running on a three-pronged platform: Defend Colorado from what she calls President Trump's "all-out attack" on the rule of law, public funding and Democratic institutions. Take on the powerful, from price-gouging corporations and monopolies to political corruption and fraud. Protect rights and safety, with a focus on civil liberties, extremist threats and environmental preservation. Between the lines: Her candidacy is supported by former House Speaker Terrance Carroll, who commended her "proven record of standing up for working families," as well as former Solicitor General of Colorado Eric Olson, who called Hetal "one of the sharpest legal minds and most capable leaders."
Axios
04-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Effort to transform Colorado politics by 2030 takes shape
The question sounds innocuous: "When you think about having more courageous and representative politics in Colorado, what does that mean to you?" Yes, but: It's the precursor to much more. The organizers who asked the question just finished a statewide listening tour called Courageous Colorado, the start to an overhaul of the state's elections and campaigns to make them less partisan. The goal is to implement policy changes at the local or state level by 2030. The big picture: The effort is the outgrowth of Proposition 131, a failed 2024 campaign to institute all-candidate primaries and ranked choice voting. Unite for America, a national democracy reform group that pushed Prop. 131, paid in part for the tour, Axios Denver has learned. The League of Women Voters, CiviCO and Veterans for All Voters, all civic engagement groups, are co-hosts. Between the lines: A similar statewide listening tour ahead of the 2016 election led to a ballot initiative to roll back the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, known as TABOR. What they are saying: "We have to also transform the way campaigns are run," Landon Mascareñaz, the lead organizer of the tour told us, lamenting their "divisive nature." State of play: Courageous Colorado organized 20 town halls across the state through late May to spur the conversation and generate a 2030 agenda. At each stop, attendees — ranging from a handful to more than a dozen — discussed and ranked their support for 23 pre-generated ideas to boost "courage and representation." The list included overhauls of campaign finance, civic education, a citizens' assembly, minor party ballot access, term limits and new methods of voting. The top ideas from the tour, Mascareñaz says, were campaign finance reform, better civic education, open political primaries, ranked choice voting and term limits for local leaders. Inside the room: The stop in Boulder drew 10 people. Mascareñaz started the hourlong conversation by outlining how representation is short-cut in Colorado because of noncompetitive seats in the state Legislature and Congress — a parallel talking point from the Prop. 131 campaign. Attendees expressed cynicism about the ability to change the status quo, but Mascareñaz urged them to stay engaged. "We didn't get into this challenge overnight. We're not going to solve it in one listening session," he said. What's next: This week, organizers are hosting a retreat in Leadville for advocacy groups to evaluate the data from the listening tour and consider a path forward.
