January 26, 2026 12:52 PM UTC

Colorado Legislature: Stark Difference Between Democrats and Republicans on ICE Killings

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Colorado legislature kicked off the week with a handful of lawmakers using a “moment of personal privilege” to speak out about the ICE killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota over the weekend. The actions of Democrats and Republicans on Monday morning couldn’t have been more different.

It is a custom and practice for all legislators to stand respectfully whenever a member speaks during a “moment of personal privilege,” but only a couple of Republicans in the House of Representatives stood for a few minutes before sitting down. No Republican in the State Senate bothered to get off their feet out of respect for their colleagues — let alone the millions of people in Colorado and throughout the country who are terrified and angry over President Trump’s deadly immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.

The sedentary response from Senate Republicans was jarring, as was the awful tone-deaf response to Democratic remarks by Republican Sen. Larry Liston of Colorado Springs.

Before Liston’s disgusting take on the issue, State Senator Mike Weissman (D-Aurora) delivered a emotional speech that was halted several times so that he could collect himself:

MIKE WEISSMAN: It’s really hard to put words to what’s gone on this past weekend, and it’s been going on for a lot longer than that. But…silence could be taken as assent and consent, and I certainly don’t consent…

…The Declaration of Independence, second paragraph: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ‘Life’ is first for a reason, because liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and everything else follows from being alive. Just being alive…

…We’re all allowed to disagree with our government. We’re all allowed to want to change our government, to petition for redress of grievances [and] vote people in and out at the next election. To come to places like this and tell our government what they think that we should do. That’s what this country is supposed to be, but nobody should fear our government. I don’t care who you are or where you’re from. I don’t care what you believe. Nobody should fear our government. And when people do fear the government, and with great legitimacy, things have gone very badly off the rails. [Pols emphasis]

If you, whoever you are, watching us on video or in the room here – if you are beholding what is going on out there, and you’re afraid of what it means, of where we’re going…I understand that, and frankly I am too. I bet we all are, in some way, and that’s okay. But fear is the cement that holds things like this together, so I want to invite us to overcome the fear, and to find a way forward with each other. Because fear is the cement that holds it all together. And we can’t let fear take control. 

After Weissman left the podium, Liston stepped up to share what he called “the other side of the story,” which included reiterating widely-discredited nonsense talking points from the Trump administration that Renee Good and Alex Pretti basically deserved to be killed:

LARRY LISTON: Quite frankly, speaking for myself, I do not fear our government. And I certainly do not fear the brave men and women who wear…the office, and protecting us, and wearing the badge.

I would want to remind you that unfortunately, what happened in Minneapolis with the lady who was shot, is the other side of the story is that the police officer – law enforcement officer – had already previously been run over and dragged by almost 200 feet and been severely injured. If that person [Good] had simply followed the directive of law enforcement and stopped instead of trying to use their vehicle to run over the police officer, she would still be alive today. 

And secondly, for the intensive care nurse, it’s very unfortunate what happened to him. But he brought a loaded 9mm pistol with two magazines to the demonstration. What kind of a person would bring a loaded handgun to a demonstration to confront the police officers? It’s very unfortunate, but a normal, reasonable person would not bring a loaded 9mm handgun to a demonstration. [Pols emphasis]

So I stand up proudly before law enforcement. I do not fear law enforcement, I support law enforcement. All we have to do is simply follow the directives that they give us, and these kinds of incidents would not happen.

“I do not fear our government,” says old white Republican man.

Note that Liston wouldn’t even say the names of Renee Good or Alex Pretti, both of whom were killed by ICE agents despite posing no physical threat to law enforcement.

If Liston wants an answer to his question, “What kind of a person brings a loaded handgun to a demonstration,” maybe he could ask his Senate colleague, Barb Kirkmeyer (R-Brighton). Kirkmeyer happily posed for a selfie with Kyle Rittenhouse after he was freed from custody despite gunning down two people with an assault rifle during a demonstration in Wisconsin in 2020.

Over in the House of Representatives, Republicans were smart enough not to go to the lectern to blame American citizens for getting killed by federal law enforcement agents. They did, however, sit on their hands during this speech from House Speaker Julie McCluskie (D-Dillon):

JULIE MCCLUSKIE: Members, there is a family in Colorado today – Michael and Susan Pretti – who found out in the news that their son was killed on Saturday at the hands of a federal agent. They are our constituents, and they are left without answers. The family of Renee Good, who also had ties to Colorado, is still waiting for answers after she was killed by federal agents just weeks ago.

We will remember these Colorado families. We will remember these victims…[Pols emphasis]

…We will remember Alex Pretti and Renee Good. We will not forget. We are angry, heartsick, and scared. Our constituents are asking us what happens when Colorado is next. Will they be able to exercise their Constitutionally-protected right to peacefully protest against a government they disagree with – without weighing their life to do so…

…It is un-American for the federal government to use masked agents to arrest, detain, and evict people off the street on the basis of their skin color, language, gender, identity, or for filming interactions with law enforcement. Colorado will continue to stand against this betrayal of our values. We stand with the 50,000 people in Minneapolis who are taking to the streets in frigid temperatures to exercise their freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of speech. We stand with Michael and Susan Pretti as they demand answers about the death of their son, Alex. And we will do what they have asked us to do: Which is to remember their son, and for what he believed in…the empathy he showed to others in his work and in his life.

We deserve peace – real peace – where families can wake up and go about their lives without fearing the day. Enough of the violence. Enough of the loss and enough of the excuses. We need calm. We need shared humanity, and we need justice and real accountability. Lives are not headlines; grief is not a news cycle. There are people in this room today who are afraid of what will happen to themselves, their loved ones, their constituents. We must all come together to acknowledge the pain that communities in Colorado and across this country are feeling today. We want them to know: We stand with you and we are in this fight together. We stand for justice and call for an end to this unwarranted and dangerous federal attack on our friends and neighbors in Minnesota. [Pols emphasis]

Colorado Republicans don’t stand — literally — with anyone but the Trump administration when it comes to federal law enforcement agents killing American citizens who are peacefully protesting.

Remember this when you get your mail ballots in October.