Last week, we reported that the city of Denver, Colorado, was having to sacrifice public services to provide a “long-term, sustainable response” to the crisis caused by the arrival of a spate of illegal migrants. The city has set aside $89.9 million in its new budget for the illegals, a sum that will require — among other things — a reduction of $8.4 million for the police department and $2.5 million reduction for the fire department. The $89.9 million will cover six months of free housing, food assistance, workforce training and more for the 1,000 migrants currently in shelters. In addition, to stave off future arrivals, the city announced a new policy of requiring newcomers to vacate a shelter after 24-72 hours, after which they will be housed temporarily before arranging travel to somewhere else.
Not surprisingly, the internationally entitled migrants and their supporters are crying that a paltry $89.9 million is “offensive” and “a slap in the face.” Migrant Willy Bastidas told local ABC affiliate KMGH-TV that the new budget and accompanying new shelter rules would only contribute to the city’s homelessness problem, adding, “I think that it’s insufficient. The mayor doesn’t represent us … He needs to listen to us and work with us to a better solution.”
About 40,000 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, have arrived in Denver since 2023, at a cost to the city of nearly $58 million so far. The city’s health system has been hit especially hard, as 8,000 illegal immigrants recorded 20,000 visits to emergency rooms and other health services since last year, helping push the system’s financial shortfall up to $130 million.
For more, see Fox News.