Douglas County officials traveled to Washington, D.C. in time for President Donald Trump’s inauguration, saying they want to lay the groundwork for cooperation with the new administration, even as they noted they represent a “red county in a blue state.”

The local delegation included Commissioners Kevin Van Winkle, Abe Laydon and George Teal. Also Joining them was Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly and 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler.

Despite missing the inauguration as the ceremonies were moved inside due to cold weather, Laydon told The Denver Gazette they met with U.S. senators and representatives to discuss wildfire mitigation, human trafficking, public safety, micro-transit and keeping Space Command in Colorado.

Laydon underscored the importance of building and fostering the county-federal relationships, saying that has implications for funding and policy affecting Douglas County.

“We have had incredibly productive meetings advocating for our Douglas County community with our federal counterparts,” Van Winkle said in a text message while on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Teal cited the “challenges of being a red county in a blue state.”

“What partnerships can we build here at the federal level to still advance our goals and provide the basic services needed for the people of Douglas County?” he said. 

A county spokesperson said the trip’s cost will be calculated and disclosed when the officials return.

Immigration a ‘top issue’ on Capitol Hill

The commissioners said illegal immigration was a major talking point during their discussions in D.C.

Recently, a Denver court dismissed a lawsuit Douglas County filed over the state’s “sanctuary” policies, which, some contend, drew 43,000 immigrants into metro Denver. The county’s lawsuit targeted a 2023 law that restricts the ability of state and local governments from making agreements with federal immigration officials over the detention of immigrants who are unlawfully staying in the country, as well as a 2019 statute that blocks local law enforcers from arresting or detaining an immigrant solely on the basis of a federal immigration detainer.

Teal said the county and federal officials are considering “how we want to partner with the federal government on the president’s plan to find, apprehend and deport these people who are here to prey on the people of Douglas County.”

“In the past,” Teal said of the county’s relationships with federal officials, “we’ve been a little myopic.”

“We want to make sure members of (Trump’s) administration know that we want to be partners,” he said. we want them to know that we’re there as a local partner. We’re not just coming in with our hands out, we’re coming in with the solution.”

“We support legal immigration,” Laydon said. “Frankly, illegal immigration hurts legal immigrants the most. So, it’s an issue for us, where we’re saying, ‘Let’s find a way to be compassionate and thoughtful about our immigration policies.’”

Weekly, who was one of several speakers at Trump’s campaign rally in Aurora in October, said he will cooperate with ICE and other federal agents to extent allowed by laws. 

Promoting public safety

Brauchler, the district attorney in the new 23rd Judicial District, said in a text message he has spoken with officials from the FBI, DEA and ATF agencies to “find resources for enhancing what we do locally.”

That included conversations about potential funding, which could help with staffing positions and tech infrastructure within the 23rd district.

Weekly said the county is setting an example of pushing for jail time for “low level crime,” something Brauchler is also focusing on in the new judicial district that covers Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.