Texas AG Upset After Coronavirus Limits Access to Colorado Vacation Homes

Gunnison County, Colorado, has barred nonresidents from staying there — and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is furious.

A small Colorado county that’s been hit hard by coronavirus and has limited healthcare capacity has closed its doors to tourists, and that’s upset the attorney general ― of Texas.

Last week, Gunnison County ordered nonresidents, including those who own second homes there, to vacate the county. Violators face a fine of up to $5,000 and 18 months in jail, though exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.

The county said Friday it has granted 199 exemption waivers so far to nonresidents who arrived before the virus forced ski areas to close. Most other nonresidents have been denied.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took umbrage at the order. In a letter to Gunnison County Health Director Joni Reynolds on Thursday, Paxton stood up for the rights of oppressed Texans who own second homes in wealthy mountain enclaves.

Paxton specifically highlighted the U.S. Constitution’s Privileges and Immunities Clause and accused Gunnison of treating Texans not “as a welcome visitor” but “an unfriendly alien.”


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