Appearing on conservative radio Thursday, State Rep. Patrick Neville of Castle Rock, the House Republican leader, blamed immigrants for helping to drive people out of the state of Colorado.
The topic was introduced by KLZ afternoon radio host John Rush, who asked Neville about bills to crack down on “sanctuary cities,” which is a term used to describe municipalities that choose not to work with federal officials to deport undocumented immigrants, which can result in the breaking up of families and disruption to local communities and economies.
Neville wants lawmakers to pass legislation, killed by Democrats at the state Capitol, that would have punished public officials who vote to protect undocumented immigrants. He’d do this by allowing residents to sue officials who “adopt sanctuary city policies.”
“When these illegal aliens run around and injure people, that raises litigation costs and it raises property and casualty insurance rates in Colorado, and this is one of many reasons we see citizens moving out of the state,” Neville told Rush.
Neville did not respond to a tweet asking for evidence to support his accusation that people are leaving Colorado due to economic problems caused by immigrants here.
Statistics repeatedly show that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S. citizens, yet they are often vilified by conservatives.
