RIO GRANDE COUNTY — In a meeting held by the Rio Grande County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 17, commissioners passed Resolution 24-08 confirming their stand on illegal immigration and undocumented persons coming to Rio Grande County.

The resolution was part of a longer discussion had by commissioners as reports of the border issue escalated in recent months. It was during this time that commissioners felt it necessary to make their stance on illegal immigration and undocumented persons into a resolution.

During a board meeting on March 27, the commissioners welcomed Rio Grande County resident Maureen Smith who presented a letter of support to commissioners and Rio Grande County Emergency Manager Brian Burrell.

In the letter submitted by Smith, she provided some statistics that show the influx of illegal immigration of undocumented persons across the southern border.

“I write this to you to encourage you to stand firm on that resolution for the protection of the legal citizens of Rio Grande County and to embolden you with facts so you can lead the resolve of the other Emergency Managers of the San Luis Valley to protect the legal citizens of the San Luis Valley,” wrote Smith.

As Smith read her letter, she stated statistics that she gathered from several different sources including cpb.gov.

“The invasion of illegals coming across the southern border of the United States is unprecedented. No country has ever had this kind of ‘peacetime’ influx. In the past 36 months, Border Patrol has documented 7.6 million people have crossed. The number of documented illegals crossing in the United States from October to December of 2023 alone is a staggering 785,422. Of these, 53% or 413,304 are single adults, the majority of those male,” Smith stated.

In addition to the number of illegal immigrants that Smith reported, she also included crime rate statistics from coloradocrimestats.state.co.us. From 2019 to January 2024, violent crime rates went up 1,563 cases per month, steadily growing each year for five years.

“Crime rates alone have increased 12% from February 2023 to February 2024,” she stated.

Out of all the statistics that were included in the letter, only one was refuted by Rio Grande County Department of Social Service Director Jody Kern who stated that of the illegal immigrants and undocumented persons coming to the state, only qualifying families were receiving benefits from state programs. Most of the single adults, including the single males did not meet the requirements in place for state benefits.

Commissioners and Emergency Manager Burrell thanked Smith for her letter of support and reaffirmed their stance on illegal immigration.

Resolution 2024-08 states, “The Rio Grande County Borad of County Commissioners of Rio Grande County, Colorado declares that Rio Grande County is NOT a sanctuary county and will not open shelter or provide services to undocumented persons and/or illegal immigrants that may arrive in the San Luis Valley and in Rio Grande County. Rio Grande County will continue to place the needs of our local citizens first above requests for emergency or long-term assistance from non-citizens. The Rio Grande County Board of County Commissioners calls upon the United States Senate and Congress to immediately restore the rule of law along the Southwest Border by enforcing existing laws and rapidly creating a system to allow reasonable vetting of migrants who may then enter the United States legally and become productive members of this country.”