Colorado lawmaker invited to White House for Hispanic Heritage Month

By Erin Prater, Colorado Politics

Updated Sep 24, 2019

Colorado state Rep. Dave Williams is among those invited to the White House by President Donald Trump for an event in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Sept. 27 event "will celebrate the positive contributions Hispanic-Americans have made to the United States," according to a Thursday press release from the Colorado House Republicans.

“It’s an honor to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with President Trump while representing the values of our community and the constituents I serve,” the Colorado Springs Republican said in the release.

A White House official did not respond with answers to a request regarding  how many others might be invited and their party affiliations, stating, in part, "We are looking forward to celebrating their commitment to our nation later this month.”

In March 2018, Williams led a delegation of Colorado Republican lawmakers to the White House to discuss the handling of so-called sanctuary cities for immigrants.

The visit came on the heels of a 2017 letter Williams penned to the White House, urging the Trump administration to step in as the city of Denver said it wouldn’t help with any roundups of immigrants that the administration might attempt.

“Cities like Denver and states like California are allowing criminal aliens to run loose, to kill, murder, maim or hurt our fellow Americans,” Williams told AP reporter James Anderson in advance of that meeting.

Colorado Politics' Joey Bunch contributed to this report.