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Representative Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, came to the U.S. with her parents during the First Liberian Civil War.

She said the daily contributions made by immigrants are deeply woven into the fabric of the communities in which they live and work.

"Immigrants are six times more likely to start their own businesses," Ricks pointed out. "Immigrant workers here in Colorado make up about 30 percent of the construction workers that are building homes and businesses. They're doctors, we're lawyers."

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The Trump administration has threatened to prosecute state or local officials if they interfere with plans to stop what they call an invasion of criminals, even though studies show immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S.

Colorado law bars local law enforcement from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents without a court order. Constitutional scholars have noted local law enforcement is not obligated to assist federal agents on any issue, even bank robberies.

Representative Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, who came to the U.S. from Haiti when she was 14, said the financial struggles experienced by many Coloradans are very real. She argued immigrants are just a convenient scapegoat. American tax dollars are not going to support immigrants; they are supporting health care and food assistance for people forced to work multiple jobs just to survive.

"We subsidize so many things because corporations are not paying people," Joseph pointed out. "You need to point fingers at Congress, because they are the group that allow corporations to not pay people a living wage."

More than 570,000 foreign-born people were living in Colorado in 2021, according to state estimates. Joseph noted for centuries, people have come to the U.S. from all corners of the globe seeking a better life for themselves and their families, including first lady Melania Trump.

"That's what makes it great, all of us together, we are unique," Joseph explained. "We are not a melting pot, we are a salad bowl. We have different ingredients, unique flavors and we all are needed."