Opinion: It’s up to Coloradans to protect themselves, others against fascist feds

Many people in Colorado are scared.

Unified Republican control in Washington, D.C., the result of last week’s election of former President Donald Trump to another term in the White House and his party’s sweeping down-ballot wins, portends authoritarian abuses. Given Trump’s own campaign promises and past behavior, fascist horrors could soon unfold in America.

Central to the MAGA movement is hostility toward immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, women, non-Christians, non-white people and anyone who opposes it politically. Millions of people who live in the state are at risk of being targeted by the new Trump administration, which is preparing to use National Guard units to undertake mass deportations and willing to deploy military troops against protesters. The incoming administration is also looking to weaponize the Department of Justice and other federal agencies against perceived enemies, and it bristles with antipathy for LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive health care.

“I am fearful for our community, 100 percent,” said state Rep. Leslie Herod, who in 2016 became the first LGBTQ+ Black woman elected to the Colorado Legislature. “Any of us could be a target.”

But Herod, a Democrat, is among the government and community leaders in Colorado who since the election have already started thinking about how to respond to a malevolent Washington. She has engaged with community members and other government officials who are preparing to counter likely Trump outrages. She has spoken on the matter directly with the office of Gov. Jared Polis, who this week announced that he and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will lead a new initiative devoted to safeguarding democracy. And she pointed to organizations that are stepping up to help Coloradans protect themselves.

These include One Colorado, which advocates for LGBTQ+ people. On the day after the election, One Colorado published a guide on policies and state laws that shield community members. It notes that Colorado, whose chief executive is a gay man, has especially strong LGBTQ+ protections, which guarantee access to health care, ensure family rights, and prohibit discrimination. 

“While extremists continue to attack our rights and freedoms across the country, Coloradans can rest assured that our rights are not up for debate here,” the guide says.

State Rep. Iman Jodeh, the first Muslim and first Arab woman elected to the Colorado Legislature, said information is key.

“Being proactive about educating yourself is one of the strongest things you can do. Being armed with information is powerful,” Jodeh, a Democrat, said. “I think that’s the best thing that we can do to combat anything that would violate our constitutional rights, our civil rights.”

She suggested several organizations that could provide valuable information and resources for vulnerable Colorado residents, including the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, and the ACLU. The ACLU of Colorado provides guides in more than a dozen languages on immigrant rights.

Jodeh represents a district in Aurora, which during his campaign Trump made central to his plan to undertake mass deportations. During a rally in the city last month, Trump called the plan Operation Aurora.

Joe Salazar, an attorney and former Democratic state representative, after the election suggested on Facebook that a mass deportation effort could impact food prices, and he recommended that Coloradans plant a garden, keep bees, learn to can food, and make cheese and butter. He also suggested that people donate food and clothes.

He plans to keep offering similar advice for living under a new Trump presidency, he told Newsline this week.

“The next one coming down would be on your health. You know, make sure that you go and seek medical attention for any ailment that you might have, because you might not have coverage for that if this guy gets rid of the ACA,” he said, referring to the Affordable Care Act.

Leaders of the initiative launched by Polis and Pritzker, called Governors Safeguarding Democracy, have been vague so far about how it might protect Coloradans. But the initiative is meant to “fortify democratic institutions in the states and ensure the rule of law serves all people.”

“We founded GSD because we know that simple hope alone won’t save our democracy. We need to work together, especially at the state level, to protect and strengthen it,” Polis said Tuesday.

Jodeh expects state lawmakers to advance other protections in the Legislature when it reconvenes in January.

“I think it’s inevitable there are going to be protection bills out there, and I think it’s going to be across many different areas. Health care, immigration, human rights, civil rights, criminal justice reform, even climate change,” Jodeh said. “None of these are safe.”

Coloradans voted for Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump by a wide margin. It’s a progressive state that in recent years has enacted strong social justice, criminal justice and reproductive health care measures. Residents start from a better position than other Americans who will be subject to Trump administration attacks.

But the state will not be immune to malign federal action, and certain individual residents will be especially at risk. It will be up to all Coloradans to help protect themselves and each other.

Resources that could help Coloradans under a new Trump administration 

ACLU of Colorado: Guides in multiple languages on immigrant rights

CIRC: Works to improve the lives of immigrants and refugees in Colorado

RMIAN: Immigration legal and social services

One Colorado: Guide on policies and state laws that shield LGBTQ+ people

Editor’s note: This opinion column first appeared on Colorado Newsline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and X.