The conservative group Advance Colorado is using out-of-context statements from the state’s top Democratic officials to imply, in at least two cases falsely, that they support its own anti-immigrant ballot initiative.
The dark money organization featured the quotes in a Frequently Asked Questions document as evidence of Democratic support for Initiative 95 that it has pushed onto this November’s ballot. The proposed constitutional amendment would force local law enforcement to cooperate with federal ICE agents, overriding state and local laws that currently prevent the practice.
In the promotional sheet, Advance placed the quotes from Democrats under the question, “Is this measure only supported by conservatives?” The answer reads,“No, nothing is more bipartisan than deporting violent criminals from our state. We are simply responding to what many citizens of all political affiliations across Colorado have asked for. Most of Colorado’s top elected officials agree with what this measure is doing:”
Spokespeople for Governor Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston all say they did not provide quotes to Advance Colorado. Instead, the out-of-context statements appear to have been copied from other public statements or interviews, none of which were about the ballot initiative.
The first quote following the statement above is lifted from Polis’ 2025 State of the State speech, which he gave to the legislature six months before Advance Colorado’s Michael Fields and West Group lawyer Suzanne Taheri filed the initiative in the first place.
Reached via email, Polis spokesperson Ally Sullivan confirmed that Polis’ quote had nothing to do with Advance’s ballot measure:
“We did not provide this quote to the campaign, and the Governor has not taken a position on this initiative,” said Sullivan.
Quotes follow from Congressman Jared Crow (D-CO), Johnston, Weiser, and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.
“We had not seen this document,” Weiser spokesperson Lawrence Pacheco told the Colorado Times Recorder via email. “AG Weiser does not support Initiative 95 and any suggestion that he does is false.”
Advance Colorado used a nearly year-old line from an interview Weiser gave to PBS about his lawsuit against a Mesa County Sheriff’s deputy who helped ICE agents arrest a 19-year-old college student studying in the U.S. on an expired visa.
Johnston Press Secretary Jon Ewing also expressed surprise upon learning that Advance Colorado had co-opted the Mayor’s words.
“We did not supply the quote and I’m learning about it from you,” said Ewing via email. “Denver has always provided ICE a notification upon request if an inmate is being released from detention. … I can say for certain that it was not offered to support this initiative.
“I can also say our policies are strong as is, protecting the rights of all residents and allowing our police to focus on keeping the city safe. [Denver Police Deptartment] doesn’t care if the person behind the wheel of a car lacks documentation. They care if they were speeding or not. Their nation of origin is immaterial. We also need our community to trust our police so people will feel comfortable coming forward and letting us know when crimes have been committed. That’s how we build trust and keep our city safe.”
Like Polis, Johnston made the statement long before Advance’s initiative was even filed. It appeared in a 9News story about ICE raids in Denver published on Jan. 29, 2025.
Following publication, Bennet campaign spokesperson Jordan Fuja offered the follow statement via email:
“Michael Bennet does not support Initiative 95 and did not supply the use of this quote in these campaign materials. Michael has spent his career fighting for immigrant communities in Colorado, and is the only candidate for Governor with a clear plan to block new immigration detention centers in Colorado and hold ICE agents accountable when they break the law.”
Advance Colorado, which paid a firm to collect signatures to put the measure on the ballot, is not sharing its FAQ document publicly; it doesn’t appear on the group’s website. However, Outreach Director Elizabeth Caven gave it and other supporting documents to at least one county Republican Party – the La Plata GOP – for the local party to share. Advance Colorado did not respond to an inquiry as to whether the nonpartisan nonprofit also shared the documents with local Democratic county parties.
The other documents include a video by Advance Colorado Vice President Kristi Burton Brown, who begins by saying, “No matter what Governor Jared Polis says, it’s clear Colorado is a sanctuary state.”
Burton Brown did not respond to an email request for comment as to why, if, as she says, Polis’ words on the subject of immigration don’t matter, why Advance would choose to use another quote from the governor.
CTR also asked whether Advance Colorado attempted to contact any of the elected officials prior to using old public statements as evidence of their support, whether Advance will remove the quote upon request from the officials, and whether they are concerned that using quotes without the speakers’ knowledge to imply support of an initiative some actively oppose hurts the organization’s credibility. This article will be updated with any response received.
CTR also reached out to other elected officials whose quotes appear in the document. This article will likewise be updated with any additional responses received.
