Denver’s elected leaders just picked a very public fight with a powerful federal agency, urging Congress this week to defund and ultimately abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Councilmembers framed ICE’s operations as a direct harm to immigrant neighbors and flagged the agency’s ties to Denver-based companies as a problem that can no longer be ignored. Their push lands right as lawmakers in Washington are weighing a high-stakes spending package that would pour billions more into ICE’s budget.
During a recent council meeting, at-large Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez did not mince words. She called for ICE to be abolished entirely, saying, “There is no reforming kidnapping and detaining random people, including children,” and described the situation as a humanitarian crisis. As reported by Denverite, Gonzales-Gutierrez also pressed U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet to vote against ICE funding.
Palantir Contract At Center Of Criticism
Councilmembers zeroed in on Palantir, the high-profile data analytics firm headquartered in Denver, accusing the company of helping ICE track and target people through its technology. WIRED reported that Palantir secured a roughly $30 million award in spring 2025 to build an “ImmigrationOS” prototype. Government contract records posted on DocumentCloud describe a platform promising near real-time visibility into immigration enforcement data. Councilmembers warned that such power, if used without tighter guardrails, could deepen the harm felt by Denver residents.
Funding Fight Reaches Washington
The local resolution is colliding with a national budget brawl. Congress is debating a minibus of spending bills, already passed by the House, that includes roughly $10 billion for ICE. The Senate faces a Jan. 30 deadline to act or risk a partial government shutdown, according to The Washington Post. National outrage over recent enforcement operations, along with deadly shootings in Minneapolis that have intensified scrutiny of ICE, has turned the agency’s line in the budget into a political flashpoint.
Local Pushback Has Been Building
Denver’s move did not come out of nowhere. The council has already flexed its muscle on immigration enforcement issues, including a vote to block a Key Lime Air expansion at Denver International Airport over concerns about the carrier’s contracts with ICE. Immigrant-rights advocates applauded that decision, which signaled that city leaders were willing to challenge companies tied to deportation work. Axios covered the December vote and the broader trend of municipal resistance to firms connected to immigration enforcement.
Mayor And Council Urge Action
Mayor Mike Johnston added his voice on social media, posting on Facebook that Congress should "pull ICE out of American cities" and hold the president accountable. At-large Councilmember Sarah Parady went a step further, urging Democrats to vote against ICE funding even if it risks triggering a shutdown, according to the council. The body is also pushing for community outreach and "know your rights" education as part of a wider local response, according to Denverite.
What’s Next
On paper, the council’s resolution is symbolic. Only Congress can actually cut funding or dismantle a federal agency. In practice, though, the move cranks up the political heat on Colorado’s senators and adds one more loud voice to the national argument over ICE’s future. If senators follow through on efforts to block Department of Homeland Security funding, the standoff could trigger a partial shutdown and fuel more legal and political clashes over immigration oversight and enforcement, as The Washington Post has explained.
