Legal Immigrants Denied Citizenship for Working in Cannabis Industry
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]wo Denver, Colorado residents who have been legal U.S. residents for over two years were recently denied citizenship solely based upon their involvement in the cannabis industry. The city of Denver, led by Mayor Michael Hancock, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr asking for clarification on the federal government’s stance and an explanation of what happened.
Hancock, City Attorney Kristin Bronson and Excise and Licenses Executive Director Ashley Kilroy met with two Denver immigrants who were denied citizenship through the naturalization process. One immigrated from Lithuania and the other from El Salvador. The Denver Channel reports that “both been permanent U.S. residents for more than two years.”
One of the immigrants, Oswaldo Barrientos, emigrated from El Salvador to the United States 29 years ago. “The American life is the only life I’ve known and lived,” Barrientos told ABC News. Working at a dispensary was the sole reason for losing his citizenship. “From that second, I was trapped,” he said. “I was led down a path to confess in my interview that I broke the law, that I willingly had known that I had broken the law.”
Hancock and others implored the standing attorney general for the reason immigrants are being denied citizenship. “Denver understands the need for federal laws and regulations regarding citizenship and immigration, but we are seeing the heartbreaking effects that those federal laws and regulations are having on our residents,” the letter to Barr read. “However, under current federal policy, lawful, permanent residents like the Denver residents I have met with are being denied naturalization and may lose their legal status based on their lawful employment in the cannabis industry.” People like Barrientos have never been charged with any crimes.
Recreational cannabis has been legal in Colorado since 2014. Forty-seven states now allow cannabis or cannabinoids in one form or another. The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, however, doesn’t recognize Colorado’s laws. Denver-based attorneys Bryce Downer and Aaron Elinoff, of the Novo Legal Group, are currently representing both immigrants who are seeking naturalization.
