The arrival of thousands of migrants in Denver has the city’s resources stretched to capacity and Colorado officials say they are coordinating transportation for migrants who want to go to other states.
While Republican governors in Florida and Texas have bused migrants and asylum seekers to Democratic states as a political statement, Colorado leaders say the migrants who made their way to Denver didn’t come as part of a coordinated political effort and they aren’t being sent to other places for that purpose either.
On Tuesday morning, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed on the local “Sid & Friends in the Morning” radio show that Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado’s Democratic governor, notified officials on Monday that Colorado would be sending migrants to other cities like New York City and Chicago. New York has already been struggling to house asylum seekers who have arrived from Texas, sent by the Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
“This is just unfair for local governments to have to take on this national obligation,” Adams, also a Democrat, said on the show. “We’ve done our job.”
Adams said there’s no more room, but New York is compelled by local laws to shelter people who arrive.
President Joe Biden’s administration needs to address immediate needs, he said, and Congress needs to work on immigration reform.
“We have received over 30,000 asylum seekers that are in need of not only shelter, but food, education for children, health care, some of the basic items that are needed. And this is really impacting on the quality of life of New York and our ability to provide for everyday long-term New Yorkers on the needs they have during this difficult time. So this must be addressed,” he told the radio show host.
In a news release Tuesday, Polis’ office said about 70% of the migrants who arrived in Denver aren’t seeking to make Colorado their final destination.
But “due to weather and workforce shortage, they have been experiencing transportation cancellations,” hence the large number of people suddenly making their way to other places.
The state is working with “culturally competent navigators” to help people make their own travel decisions.
“No one should play politics with the lives of migrants who came here to escape oppression, and in Colorado, we are honoring our values of treating people with dignity and respect. We are simply carrying out our values of treating every human being with dignity and respect,” Polis said in a statement.
He added that states and cities can’t take on the burden alone and Congress needs to step up with an immediate route for work permits and to enact better border security and immigration reform.
As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, 144 migrants had arrived overnight in Denver, with 846 in city emergency shelters and 871 in partner emergency shelters, according to the Office of Emergency Management. Since Dec. 9, 3,652 migrants had arrived in Denver from the southern border, many seeking asylum from Venezuela.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has repeatedly called on the federal government to step in and assist in a growing crisis that local governments are not able to handle on their own.
In a written statement Tuesday, he said nearly twice as many new migrants are arriving in Denver as are leaving on a daily basis, with about 1,800 migrants being sheltered overnight.
“States and cities not on the border are ill-equipped to address these challenges, and absent federal support and leadership, we’re left to strategize and take actions to ensure this vulnerable population — people who’ve come here with no resources or means — are safe and treated humanely,” he said.
“I appreciate Gov. Polis and the State for leaning in to support those coming to our city to reach their preferred destinations, and to help reduce the number of people in our shelters and more quickly connect them with community supports and other options.”
Although Denver has seen the largest number of arrivals in recent weeks, migrants are also making their way to other parts of the state like Summit County.
In Larimer County, officials rejected a state request to shelter more migrants, with leaders saying they cannot meet the need, and without a statewide declaration of emergency, there is confusion surrounding legalities.
Hancock declared a state of emergency for the city and county of Denver, which the City Council extended through Jan. 17, to open up more state resources to assist in the response.
Larimer County officials believe Polis should have declared a statewide emergency declaration to make available more federal aid in response to the crisis, particularly as his office requests help from other parts of the state, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald, but so far he has refused to do so.
Polis’ office did not directly address whether the governor was considering a statewide emergency declaration when asked by The Denver Post.
“The state has taken many steps in partnership with Denver and non-profits to help address this challenge,” Conor Cahill, a spokesperson for Polis’ office, wrote in a statement.
“Our emergency management team continues to engage with Denver on a daily, and hourly basis to determine the needs and we will make decisions as needed for this evolving situation.”
This is not the first criticism of how Polis’ office has handled the migrant crisis, with some leaders previously saying the state did not prepare adequately for the potential of the migrants’ arrival, despite the urging of local leaders. But they said state officials have taken the issue more seriously as the migrants have come to the state and have allocated resources to the efforts.
About $5 million of state money has been set aside for the response, which Polis said at a state budget news conference Tuesday was the limit to what the state could make available on an administrative level.
After that, more would have to come from the legislature and federal government, and he said discussions were ongoing with the Biden administration. About half of the state money has been allocated and only a fraction spent so far, with only Denver applying for funding so far.
Denver spent about $3 million on the crisis in December.
“I think it’s important that we have a national coordinated approach to this, and I really hope the Biden administration steps up and shows leadership in this area, particularly around provisional work permits,” Polis said at the news conference.
He added that there’s only so much anyone can do as they wait for asylum claims to process, which can take a year, so he hopes the administration will help with temporary status to so asylum seekers are able to access work permits and transition to their new country.
Reporter Nick Coltrain contributed to this story.
© Copyright (c) 2023 The Denver Post Corp.
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If you haven’t figured it out yet. This is a deliberate intentional effort by the socialist Democrat Party to get as many people as possible to be dependent on the socialist Democrat Party government for every aspect of their life and once they have done that, their servants, slaves, subjects are totally dependent, they will vote for those who own them.
The problem is no government has it’s own money, they take the peoples money. What happens when the people do not have enough money being spent and given away by the socialist government?
Venezuela use to be a thriving democracy until they let the socialists take control of their country. Now the socialist Venezuela is a very poor, 3rd world country and their citizens are fleeing to the U.S. as illegal immigrants.
AND to swell the hell out of their voter rolls..
This might be the best thing Polis has ever done.
It’s going to be kind of hard to keep criticizing Abbott and DeSantis for shipping illegals out of state when a Democrat is doing the same thing. Well, sort of the same thing. I think Polis is just buying bus tickets and was trying to keep it on the downlow.
“This is just unfair for local governments to have to take on this national obligation,” Adams, also a Democrat, said on the show. “We’ve done our job.”
Adams wants them all in TX so those local governments can pay. Hypocrite!
AHH.. BUT when DEMS to it, its ‘for good reasons’.
When republicans do it, its “because they are racist/sexist/bigoted/hate ful” etc…
It appears Biden don’t care what state the illegals are sent too, all he cares about is they fact they are here! Anything and everything to destroy America even faster seems to ne his goal. So far, he has been doing very well with many in both political parties helping him.
It’s amazing what Americans will tolerate.
Biden is Obama’s hand puppet. It’s all part of the globalist plan to destroy traditional, Constitutional, sovereign America, and pave the way for one world government…
Exactly. STOP them coming in, in the first place, and we wouldn’t HAVE TO WORRY about what state they are being shipped to.
Migrants? Call them what they are. Law breaking, illegal border crossers.
Call them what they are..
INVADERS!
Slight correction there, Deacon.
Border towns aren’t well equipped to handle this mess either. Just look at El Paso, with all the people sleeping on the streets in the cold. Typical Biden – invite all of these “asylum seekers” to come on in, but don’t have any plan to resettle or shelter them. So whose making the “political statement” here, Slow Joe for opening the border wide and not deterring the invasion, or the governors that are shipping the folks to “sanctuary cities”?
With Republican governors sending illegal aliens to Democrat sanctuary cities and states we’re beginning to see the Democrats are unprepared for the illegals and don’t want them there either.
What’s to prevent Democrat mayor’s from sending the illegals they’ve received to other Republican-led cities or states? After all it’s obvious now that no one wants the illegals here except biden, so this might wind up looking like a political ping pong game where illegal immigrants are bounced around from state to state.
so this might wind up looking like a political ping pong game where illegal immigrants are bounced around from state to state.
Yup, use MORE taxpayer MONEY to shift these illegal invaders to somewhere else, and then again and again. INSTEAD ship them back to the Mexican side of the border.
Exactly. START AIR lifting them ALL back home. Don’t wait for their own nations to accept them, JUST DROP THEM on the tarmack at the air port.
New York has declared itself a sanctuary city. To me that means they welcome all illegal aliens and that they want to assume the full cost of taking care of them. Taxpayers from other areas should not be liable for these expenses. Dumbocrats also argue for long range immigration policy changes. I would agree to negotiate these changes after two conditions are met: 1. The border wall between the U.S. and Mexico is 100% complete and demonstrably secure, and 2. ALL illegal aliens in the United States today are returned to their country of origin.
Good for you send them all to the white house. But if your hoping Biden will step up ?? Lol what has he done for violence crime ?? Nothing but looked the other way. Demon rats cities are dangerous.
And only getting worse.
Why must Denver Colorado send the illegals to other states since it is a sanctuary state. They can just as easily send them to other cities and let the funds from those cities take care of the illegals. I am certain each city has its own resources to take care of all illegals. Just wonder how great they (the cities) are at taking care of their own homeless, orphans, elderly, mental cases, and most needed their veterans. Willing to bet the illegals get front of the line benefits before the aformentioned.
>> We have received over 30,000 asylum seekers that are in need of not only shelter, but food, education for children, health care, some of the basic items that are needed. <<
I've about worn out one copy of the Constitution looking for the section that requires us to provide these things for invaders and their families. HELP!