Agreeing with a caller that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) blames the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency for the city's problems with illegal immigrants, 630 KHOW-AM host Peter Boyles on June 19 repeated his falsehood that Denver is a so-called “sanctuary city.” In fact, as Colorado Media Matters repeatedly has noted, Denver is not a sanctuary city, according to former Denver City Attorney Cole Finegan, Colorado statute, and ICE. Furthermore, a June 18 article in the Rocky Mountain News reported that, in compliance with a 2006 law “requir[ing] all cities and counties to report any suspected illegal immigrants arrested or cited for crimes to” ICE, Denver reported 1,351 suspected illegal immigrants from June through December of 2006. Of those, only 74 were not jailed.

Additionally, for the second straight day, Boyles equated implementation of Colorado's new driver's license ID requirements with “date rape.”

During his broadcast, after a caller said, “His Honor the mayor maintained that Denver is not a sanctuary city,” Boyles responded, “Of course it is.” Referring to the June 18 News article, the caller also claimed that “every problem that he [Hickenlooper] has with illegal immigrants is basically an ICE problem that Denver's turned over.” Boyles later stated, “I mean, for God's sake, if drugs coming into this country are a federal problem, why do you have narcs? Why do you have Homeland Security? Why do you have these things? We'll go down a list of things. Of course Denver's sanctuary.”

However, in addition to noting that Denver reported 1,351 suspected illegal immigrants to ICE from June through December 2006, the News stated that the city of Denver “estimated it had seven to 12 holds placed on inmates a week.” The article further noted that “figures show Colorado [ICE] referrals skyrocketing -- in keeping with the 2006 law -- while automatic holds placed by the ICE center are stagnate [sic]”:

Carl Rusnok, ICE spokesman, said the agency doesn't track all arrestees referred to it, or the number of holds placed on suspected illegal immigrants in Colorado jails.

However, he said, the agency does track computerized referrals from Colorado law enforcement agencies to its support center in Vermont.

Those figures show Colorado referrals skyrocketing -- in keeping with the 2006 law -- while automatic holds placed by the ICE center are stagnate.

This federal fiscal year, Colorado police agencies are on pace to refer almost 19,000 potential illegal immigrants to ICE, a 30 percent increase from last year and a 71 percent increase from two years ago, according to figures provided by Rusnok.

However, the ICE support center only placed holds on 386 people last fiscal year, or one hold per every 38 referrals.

This fiscal year, the number is even smaller, with a federal immigration hold being placed on one of every 56 referrals from Colorado law enforcement agencies.

Later in the broadcast, Boyles repeated his claim that Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles' requirements clarifying the documentation necessary to obtain a driver's license amount to “date rape”:

BOYLES: [Y]ou know, as we said, it's date rape; no means no means no means no means no. Political state rape, date rape, whatever the hell you want to call it. Unprotected sex. I don't know what you want to call it. But you got raped. No means no. Bill Ritter doesn't understand that, neither does George Bush.

Colorado Media Matters pointed out that, contrary to Boyles' assertion that the new rules “really accomplish the same result” as House Bill 1313 -- which Gov. Bill Ritter (D) vetoed -- the new rules in fact bar the use of numerous documents that would have been allowable under the measure. As the News reported following Ritter's veto:

But the new rules disallow some documents that would have been accepted under HB 1313, said Evan Dreyer, a Ritter spokesman.

For instance, under HB 1313, a person seeking a driver's license could have presented insurance and tax documents, city-issued birth certificates and prisoner IDs from any state to help prove lawful presence and identity.

Those documents aren't allowed under the new rules, Dreyer said.

In addition, a June 5 News editorial called the DMV rules “a big improvement over those in House Bill 1313” and reiterated that "[t]he new, department-issued guidelines [are] certainly better than the provisions of HB 1313," which, as the News noted, “would have allowed applicants to get driver's licenses if they presented a host of expired documents, including some out-of-state licenses and military IDs that lacked photographs.”

From the June 19 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Peter Boyles Show:

CALLER: Thank you, Peter. You know, my older brother never graduated from high school. He didn't attend the graduation, and he didn't attend his senior prom, 'cause he was over in Europe in a foxhole fighting Hitler's armies. But one thing he damn well knew was the sovereignty and the sanctuary of his foxhole. And I've passed that message on to His Honor the mayor yesterday morning --

BOYLES: Hmm.

CALLER: -- on another talk show.

BOYLES: On Rosen?

CALLER: Yeah.

BOYLES: OK.

CALLER: And His Honor the mayor maintained that Denver is not a sanctuary city --

BOYLES: Of course it is.

CALLER: -- and every problem that he has with illegal immigrants is basically an ICE problem that Denver's turned over. You saw the paper yesterday.

BOYLES: Sure. All right. Yeah, sure, I mean, it's --

CALLER: Yeah.

BOYLES: No, I mean, but, th -- , they all -- the, the, the duplicitousness in that is, things that they want to make federal issues are federal issues --

CALLER: Yeah.

BOYLES: -- then you ask them, “Then why do you have narcs?” I mean, for God's sake, if drugs coming into this country are a federal problem, why do you have narcs? Why do you have Homeland Security? Why do you have these things? We'll go down a list of things. Of course Denver's sanctuary. It was done so by Mayor [Wellington] Webb. They can call it whatever the hell they want to call it. But when you see what's happened in this city -- the fact that [Raul] Gomez-Garcia [convicted for murdering a Denver police detective in 2005] was working for the guy. I mean, I don't know what more it takes. But they'll deny all of that.

CALLER: Oh, yeah.

BOYLES: But it's like Tancredo gets that thing through on denying federal funds to sanctuary cities --

CALLER: Right.

BOYLES: -- and the Rocky Mountain News can't find this guy for a comment. The question would have been is, “What do you think of that? I mean, you had no comment for the Rocky, or they couldn't -- allegedly can't find you for a comment. What do you think of that sanctuary stuff? I mean, would you -- if, if Denver's not a sanctuary city, Your Honor, obviously then you'd back the Tancredo legislation.” And he won't do that.

CALLER: No.

BOYLES: You know, you know, it's like you say, when learn how to -- when you learn how to turn the question. You know, the que -- I mean, God love you. The question really would have been, you know, “I noticed that in the Rocky Mountain News on Saturday there was a story about Tancredo getting this sanctuary -- denying federal funds to sanctuary cities through the House, and the Rocky apparently could not get a hold of you for a comment; so what is your comment? Obviously, if Denver's not a sanctuary city, then you would obviously back the Tancredo legislation.” And I'd guarantee you he won't say that. I mean, he won't say, “Yeah, I think that's a good idea,” because they're sanctuary.

[...]

BOYLES: As you know, if you have been following along at home, the spiking by Bill Ritter of stealthy House Bill 1313 that reduced the documentation necessary to secure a Colorado driver's license or a valid ID. So they started back in the bureaucratic nightmare that has turned into Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of Revenue. They have these new bureaucratic rules that really accomplish the same result. And these people, in essence, go to almost any length to do what they did. And it's called CCR 204-13. And they never held a public hearing, and we'd been through this, we've been through going through the AG [attorney general]. We've had the secretary of state on. We'll have him back today, because I want to review some things with him. And, of course, now we're telling people, look, go at Bill Ritter, who we're told is on vacation and his, what, his chief of staff or spokesperson goes on vacation with him. Is that, is that how, Greg? Greg, apparently so? That they're on va -- they're vacationing. Where did they -- what, it doesn't matter where they went. They're out of town. All right, so we have been taking this on and saying, look, call the governor's office. You can do so. As we say, every morning when you get up, wash your face and hands, brush your teeth, take your vitamins, as Hulk Hogan said, say your prayers, and then call Bill Ritter -- 303-866-2471 -- and say, “Look, you must pull CCR 204-13 rules out and go back to” -- you know, as we said, it's date rape; no means no means no means no means no. Political state rape, date rape, whatever the hell you want to call it. Unprotected sex. I don't know what you want to call it. But you got raped. No means no. Bill Ritter doesn't understand that, neither does George Bush.