The U.S. Small Business Administration will relocate its regional offices away from “sanctuary cities,” the office’s new administrator said in a memo issued on Monday.
The memo didn’t specifically cite Denver, though a Congressional panel has singled out Denver and a few other urban centers as “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
“To better serve Main Streets across America, especially in rural areas, SBA will relocate regional offices currently based in sanctuary cities to less costly, more accessible locations in communities that comply with federal immigration law,” the memo from SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said.
SBA’s regional office for Colorado is based in Denver.
Loeffler’s memo, which didn’t provide timelines for the relocation, is among a slew of orders from the Trump administration that seeks to crack down on illegal immigration by, among other things, withholding funding from local governments that the White House regards as “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she is halting the disbursement of funds from the U.S. Department of Justice to “sanctuary jurisdictions,” which could also result in millions of dollars in federal funding withheld from Colorado.
A “sanctuary jurisdiction” is — broadly speaking — a designation given to municipalities and counties with policies that discourage local law enforcement from reporting an individual’s immigration status to federal authorities.
Colorado’s officials, including Gov. Jared Polis, have routinely rejected the label.
In 2019, the state adopted a law whose provisions fall under the broad outlines of what constitutes a “sanctuary” state. That law prohibits in specific instances cooperation with federal authorities on enforcing immigration laws.
Douglas County has sued to overturn those laws.
Meanwhile, the Denver City Council in 2017 passed an ordinance that prohibits “city employees from collecting information on immigration or citizenship status; prohibits the sharing of any other information about individuals for purposes of immigration enforcement; and, memorializes predominant practices by prohibiting use of city resources or City cooperation with civil immigration enforcement.”
In her memo, Loeffler said she would ban people living unlawfully in the U.S. from receiving SBA assistance and restrict “hostile foreign nationals” from accessing the federal programs.
Loeffler said her first priority is rebuilding the SBA into an “America First engine for free enterprise — by empowering small businesses and fueling economic growth.”
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