Candidates at the League of Women Voters forum expressed divergent views about how Greeley law enforcement should interact with federal immigration enforcement, a subject raised by audience members concerned about raids.

Why it matters: Public‑safety policy affects residents’ willingness to report crimes, municipal resource allocation and relationships between immigrant communities and law enforcement.

At‑large candidate Ryan Roth said he supports cooperation when it involves “dangerous individuals” and law enforcement processes: “If there are dangerous individuals in our community that need to be apprehended and taken care of through, appropriate law enforcement channels, then I fully support our really, police department and others to make sure that, once again, our community is safe,” he said.

Several other candidates emphasized civil‑rights safeguards and warned against diverting local police resources. Ward 2 candidate Deb Debuti said: “Every person in America has civil rights, whether they're a citizen or not. And our Greeley Police Department are responsible for enforcing our laws. But one of those laws is protection of civil rights, and everybody is entitled to due process and to being heard.”

Mayoral candidate Tiffany Simmons urged non‑involvement in immigration raids and described community harm from past enforcement actions. She recounted a 2006 raid at JBS that left children unattended: “I don't wanna see our community go through that again,” she said, and argued police involvement in immigration enforcement can undermine trust with residents who should feel safe reporting crime.

Audience speakers framed the issue as both humanitarian and economic. One audience member urged protection for immigrants, saying the immigrant population is “above 48%,” provides essential labor and should not be exposed to raids; that claim was presented as the speaker’s view rather than an independently verified statistic.

Context and tradeoffs: Candidates balanced two priorities: removing dangerous criminals and preserving community trust so that residents — including immigrants — report crime and use city services. Several candidates suggested police should prioritize public‑safety duties and due‑process obligations and avoid diverting limited resources to immigration enforcement operations.

Ending: The forum highlighted a split among candidates that could shape police‑community relations and public‑safety policy if the next council and mayor adopt specific guidance on local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.