A long train of policy failures allowed Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect in Sunday’s terrorist attack on pro-Israel marchers in Boulder, to remain in the U.S., and in Colorado specifically, critics say.

The Centennial State has enacted a broad swath of “sanctuary” policies in recent years, preventing state and local law enforcement from alerting Immigration and Customs Enforcement about illegal aliens’ immigration status and allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses and state benefits.

Critics say this lax enforcement created an atmosphere that enabled Soliman to overstay his work permit.

“Less than a month ago, Colorado Democrats stood and applauded the expansion of our state’s radical sanctuary laws—laws that fine law enforcement up to $50,000 for cooperating with ICE,” state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell, R-Colo., told The Daily Signal in a statement Tuesday.

“Now, one of the very individuals they’re protecting has brutally attacked Jewish Coloradans in Boulder,” Caldwell added. “These policies do not keep our communities safe. They enable violence, strain our resources, and make Colorado a sanctuary for chaos—not law and order.”

Soliman faces a federal hate crime charge and 16 state counts of attempted first-degree murder after he allegedly used a “makeshift flamethrower” and Molotov cocktails to attack citizens who were marching in honor of the hostages........

© The Daily Signal