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The mass detention of skilled temporary, mostly South Korean workers, ( including a few Chinese, Japanese and an Indonesian ) at a Hyundai plant in Georgia is the latest example of Washington’s incoherent immigration and visa policies. These were not criminals or gang members; they were engineers and technicians supporting billions of dollars of investment within the United States. Instead of welcoming their contribution, our broken system greeted them with handcuffs. Closing the factory and delaying further investments in the U.S. are terrible outcomes for our economy.

Colorado has always thrived as a home for immigrants. We benefit from their talent, hard work, and entrepreneurial spirit. But our state also feels the strain when federal leaders fail to provide clarity and limitations to immigration. Schools, health care, housing, and other essential services are stretched thin in part because Washington has avoided tough choices to properly manage the flow of migration for decades. When cities and states refuse to work with ICE inside the jails, it makes the community less safe, and adds to the overall immigration system dysfunction, pushing ICE into the community.

This cannot continue. We call on Colorado’s congressional delegation—our two U.S. Senators and our eight Representatives from both parties — to make this issue a priority in Washington. They may disagree on many things, but we need them to work together on this critical issue. A modernized visa system that allows labor to flow where American workers are unavailable, and a clear, orderly path to legal citizenship for those who wish to fully join our community – one that prioritizes the labor needs of our economy, would benefit both Colorado and the nation. A balanced system should include guest worker opportunities for those who contribute in essential but temporary roles, while reserving citizenship for those prepared to make a permanent commitment to our nation.

The Colorado Center Party advocates for real solutions, not partisan sound bites. We urge the Colorado Congressional delegation to take this opportunity to lead, to bridge divides, and to show the country that Colorado values both fairness and practicality for the benefit of our country.  

Three Ivy league University presidents displayed a shocking lack of moral clarity on antisemitism during their recent testimony to Congress. Supporting the genocide of Jews does not require “context” to determine if it violates university policy, it must be condemned and stopped. Treating genocide as anything but the most heinous crime against humanity is wrong in any context. These University presidents should step down so that these Universities can breathe fresh air into these important institutions for respectful civic dialogue.

The Colorado Center Party is appalled by the barbaric terrorist invasion of Israel by Hamas. We agree completely with the statement issued by our European allies, “We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. There is never any justification for terrorism. Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike. But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.”

The recently formed Colorado Center Party, www.CoCenterParty.org , gained minor party status this month from the Secretary of State. Minor party status allows the party to nominate candidates for the general election ballot without having to collect petition signatures to get onto the ballot.

                The Colorado Center Party was launched in January of 2022 when they held their first election of officers and Executive Committee members. It is not affiliated with any national organization. The Center party has a platform that is pro-choice on abortion, fighting crime by maintaining cash bail for those accused of a crime and support for police with strong civilian oversight, and government financial responsibility through a balanced approach to taxes and spending. www.CoCenterParty.org/issues.

                The Colorado Center Party hopes to attract candidates to run under its banner in the sensible center that are independent minded and would have otherwise run as independents. The two major parties have continued to veer out to the extremes of left and right, leaving an opportunity for the Center Party to attract many of the 47 percent of Colorado’s voters who are unaffiliated and fed up with the hyper-partisan views of the two major parties. The Secretary of State’s voter rolls show that Democrats and Republicans continue to lose registered voters. In just August alone, the Democratic party lost 1,145 voters and the Republicans lost 1,394 voters, a strong indication that a majority of voters feel that change is needed.

                This year several Colorado municipalities will begin using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in their municipal elections. If voters like using RCV at the municipal level they may want to use it for the state level races too, which would be a big boost to the Colorado Center Party and other minor parties, greatly enhancing the candidate choices for voters.