Colorado Democrats are pushing to censure Sen. John Hickenlooper (D., Colo.) after he voted in favor of an amendment barring illegal immigrants from receiving federal stimulus checks.
Three Colorado members of the DNC requested the Colorado Democratic Party censure Hickenlooper for violating the party platform with his vote in the Senate last week, according to Denver Post reporter Justin Wingerter.
The freshman senator and former Colorado governor joined seven other Democrats and all Senate Republicans to block pandemic stimulus checks from going to illegal immigrants. The amendment, which passed 58-42, is nonbinding and will likely do little to change federal policy on the matter, as provisions preventing illegal immigrants from receiving stimulus funds already exist under current law.
Immigration advocates in the state said Hickenlooper’s vote was a "slap in the face" to the immigrant community.
"It's a slap in the face," said Denver-based immigrant advocate Alejandro Flores-Muñoz. "We put our trust in people who look to our community for support during elections time and time again. And so many times, we're disappointed. But this was done by someone who pledged support to our cause. This time, after I felt disappointed, I felt anger and betrayal."
"Colorado did not elect John Hickenlooper to the Senate so he could cast chickensh*t votes," Hans Meyer, an immigration lawyer in Denver, told the Denver Post.
"John Hickenlooper said that he wasn't cut out to be a member of the U.S. Senate," Colorado GOP spokesman Joe Jackson told the Washington Free Beacon. "I'm glad that some Colorado Democrats are starting to agree with that accurate assessment."
Hickenlooper tapped a former Democratic banking lobbyist to serve as his chief of staff last month after he promised on the campaign trail to distance himself from special interests.