By: Tom Gantert | The Center Square
The city of Denver became a target of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott with its sanctuary city status and Texas has bused more than 16,400 migrants to the Mile High city.
Now, some surrounding Colorado cities are saying that they aren’t equipped financially to deal with Denver’s influx of migrants that they claim Denver is sending their way.
Aurora’s city council passed a resolution this week during an animated meeting “demanding” that other municipalities stop busing migrants to their city.
That comes after the mayor of Colorado Springs released a statement Jan. 31 that said “we will not invite this crisis into our city” after the first bus of migrants allegedly from Denver arrived in El Paso County a few days earlier.
City officials from Colorado Springs and Aurora have pointed the finger at Denver for not alerting them the sanctuary city was busing migrants to their cities.
“I have constituents telling me that people are being bused into this city in the middle of the night, in the dark, and just dropped off, dropped off in neighborhoods. That is inhumane,” Aurora City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky said at the Monday meeting.
In Aurora, the council debate was animated over a resolution that “demanded” that cities stop busing migrants to their city. Jurinsky said she wasn’t sure having the word “demanded” in the resolution would be effective.
The city council stated that they just don't have the resources to take in the migrants.
Some city council members had an issue with the language in the original draft of the resolution. It originally stated, “the City Council demands that those who provide direct or indirect assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness or migrants which assistance can include, but is not limited to, providing housing vouchers or other financial assistance to those individuals first enter into an agreement with Aurora prior to providing any services.” That phrase was removed from the adopted resolution.
City Council Member Ruben Medina said that non-profits asked him if they needed to move out of the city due to the original language in the resolution.
“We are scaring people,” Medina said at the meeting.
City Council Member Crystal Murillo didn’t support the resolution.
“This is spreading a narrative of fear,” she said at the meeting. “We are sending a message of fear and concern.”
In El Paso County, the first bus of migrants arrived on Jan. 28, a Sunday.
El Paso County Commissioner Longinos Gonzales, Jr., stated that he was told the migrants had come from Denver, according to KXRM.
Three days later, the mayor of Colorado Springs responded.
“What’s happening at the southern border is a crisis. What’s happening in Denver is a crisis,” Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade stated in a news release. “We are aware that some migrant families have organically made their way to our city and have sought service at local nonprofit shelters. These arrivals were not coordinated by the City, the County or our nonprofits. … We will not invite this crisis into our city and we are not a sanctuary city. It’s the City’s duty to care for its residents first, and that remains our top priority. While we are called to serve and help those in need, as Mayor I will act as a thoughtful and careful steward of our taxpayer dollars. We must use these limited resources in support of and in service to our own residents first.”
Related Story: New York, Chicago, Denver Face High Costs of Migrant Arrivals, S&P Warns
