Denver is experiencing an influx of new residents, including migrants who are being bused in from Texas border towns. As a result, the city has been struggling to provide resources and assistance to these newcomers. In a video obtained by NBC News, a Denver official was recorded telling migrant families that they would “suffer” if they stayed in Denver and encouraging them to consider relocating to cities like New York City or Chicago instead. The official stated that Denver had “received too many migrants” and had run out of resources, leading to the city initiating efforts to promote onward travel for new arrivals.
The mayor’s office defended the official’s comments, stating that the city began heavily encouraging newly arrived migrants to leave Denver in February due to limited resources and diminishing opportunities for work and housing. The number of people in shelters has decreased significantly from a high of 5,210 to about 700 individuals. Denver has received over 40,000 newcomers in the last two years, with about 20,000 people moving on from the city. The city has also received nearly 500 buses as part of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s campaign to send migrants to Democratic cities.
The official in the video, Andres Carrera, also emphasized that cities like New York and Chicago provided more shelter time and job opportunities for migrants. Both cities have also been dealing with an influx of migrants, with Chicago currently housing almost 10,000 migrants in 21 active shelters and New York City reporting over 64,000 migrants in need of shelter. Despite the challenges faced by these cities in providing resources and housing to newcomers, Denver has welcomed more people per capita, according to the city’s press secretary.
Denver regularly communicates with cities like New York and Chicago to assist newcomers in determining destinations where they may have existing networks or better opportunities for work and housing. The official’s comments in the video were in response to questions from the migrant families, and Denver typically does not suggest specific cities for relocation. The video clip showcased only a small part of the work done by the city’s team members, who have been working tirelessly to assist newcomers arriving in Denver amidst the ongoing influx of migrants from the border towns in Texas.
Overall, Denver’s strategy for addressing the influx of migrants involves promoting onward travel to cities where newcomers may have support networks or better opportunities. The city’s limited resources and shrinking opportunities for work and housing have led to the encouragement of migrants to consider relocating to cities with more available resources. While New York City and Chicago also face challenges in providing resources to migrants, Denver has welcomed more newcomers per capita. The efforts by Denver officials and staff to assist and support migrants reflect ongoing challenges and complexities in managing the arrival and settlement of new residents in the city.
