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El Paso County surpasses Denver as most populous county
Officials seek new Immigration office
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, El Paso County, population 565,582, is
now the most populous in Colorado. El Paso County actually surpassed the city
and county of Denver as the largest county in 2004.
Even though El Paso County continues to outpace all other counties in growth,
it lacks a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, commonly referred
to as ICE. Currently the county's illegal immigrant cases are handled by ICE
agents from Denver and Pueblo.
The Board of El Paso County Commissioners and the Sheriff's Office requested
an ICE office last year from Colorado Senators Allard and Salazar. ICE, an
agency of the Department of Homeland Security, promised the establishment of a
local office, but has yet to fund the operation.
"It's time El Paso County was recognized as being the most heavily populated
county in the state," said Commissioner Jim Bensberg. "We need and deserve the
resources that other large counties in the state enjoy," he added.
According to Sen. Allard, "because approximately 30,000 of the state's
estimated 200,000 illegal immigrants are in El Paso County, the ICE resources
currently allocated to El Paso County may be insufficient...[and] the county
spends $1.2 million a year" to house illegal immigrants at the county's Criminal
Justice Center. Both Allard and Salazar support the efforts of El Paso County to
locate a permanent ICE office in Colorado Springs.
ICE also oversees prosecution of child pornography, child exploitation, human
trafficking, identity theft and narcotics smuggling.
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