Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez on the city struggling with the increase of migrants as some choose to leave due to city conditions The city of Denver has spent millions of dollars in the last year transporting thousands of migrants to other parts of the country, officials confirmed this week.
CBS News first reported that Denver has spent nearly $4.5 million transporting more than 12,000 migrants out-of-state. A spokesperson for the city’s government confirmed the figures to Digital. LIBERAL CITY’S COSTS FOR SHELTERING MIGRANTS NEARS $25 MILLION
“We provide migrant guests who wish to stay in Denver with shelter and support. However, we also understand that many individuals arriving in Denver from the southern border have other destinations in mind,” the spokesperson said. “This is often because they have built-in support systems from family and friends in those cities, or because they believe they will have a better chance at finding work that suits their skills.”
The city’s priority is to ensure that migrant guests are treated fairly and placed in situations that fit their needs. Individual tickets are purchased based on destination requests directly from migrants to various cities, after ensuring that the individual or family truly desires the intended location.
CBS reported that the transport costs include plane, bus, and train tickets, with only a few hundred plane tickets purchased. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently appealed to the White House for financial help, joining other mayors seeking $5 billion in aid. The administration is seeking around $1.4 billion from Congress as part of a $14 billion supplemental for border security.
Denver confirmed in September that its expenses for migrant sheltering were close to $25 million. The city had declared a state of emergency late last year after the numbers of migrants shot up in December. To address the crisis, Denver implemented certain limits on migrant shelter, including a 30-day limit for how long migrants can stay, as well as restrictions on returns and engaging in illegal activity.
Migrant transportation has become a controversial political issue, especially after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced last year that he would bus migrants to sanctuary cities. Buses have also been sent to Denver. Meanwhile, New York City, which has seen over 130,000 migrant arrivals since last year, has been forced to slash budgets for education, policing, and sanitation due to the spiraling costs of the crisis it is facing.
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security. For more information and updates on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews, and more political content, subscribe to his newsletter or reach out to him via email or Twitter.
