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Migrants Discouraged from Coming to Denver

INFORMATION ON HOUSING COST AND LIMITED ACCOMMODATION PROVIDED

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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The city of Denver informs newly arrived immigrants to the United States that “resources have run out” to assist them and that housing is expensive with limited affordable options. A flyer in English and Spanish distributed at various points along the Texas-Mexico border and at bus stations in Denver, where immigrants are sent from that state, expresses, “If you come to Denver in search of accommodation, it is important to have a plan. Denver cannot provide long-term housing.”

The flyer adds that “housing in Denver is very expensive, and there are not many affordable options.” The average cost of a two-bedroom apartment is $1,750 per month, according to the National Apartment List Report. The announcement to discourage immigrants arriving in the city without a plan to settle comes almost a year after the continuous influx of new immigrants from the Mexico border to the capital of Colorado.

Eviction of the Violent

Denver began reducing the capacity of shelters for immigrants, with hundreds leaving municipal facilities every day. Additionally, those who remain in these shelters will face stricter restrictions. “We do not allow perishable food in the rooms because the rooms do not have mini-refrigerators. It is a health and safety concern, and we also must prevent pest problems,” said Jon Ewing, spokesperson for the Denver Migrant Operations Center in a statement.

According to Ewing, those who do not comply with these rules, as well as those involved in violent acts, will be immediately evicted. In this context, the city of Denver closed the shelter located in a hotel (now municipally owned) in the northern part of the city. Another building that once operated as a hotel near downtown Denver could stop hosting immigrants from November 10, leaving only four shelters open.

Journey Without Results

Additionally, the Denver Police Department dismantled an “immigrant camp” that had been established in the city center, occupying an entire park and blocking pedestrian passage. The operation was activated when immigrants, mostly Venezuelans, lit unauthorized fires in the park. The situation prompted Mayor Mike Johnston to travel to Washington DC to request federal assistance for immigrant services.

However, upon his return, the Democratic mayor indicated that the efforts he and his counterparts from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston made with officials from President Joe Biden’s administration did not yield concrete results. “(Denver) is spending two million dollars per week to provide resources to people arriving here from the southern border, depleting public resources and the city’s school district. We could end up spending up to 100 million next year,” Johnston asserted.”