A Denver city official implored migrant families to move to other sanctuary cities such as New York and Chicago, warning them that a lack of resources in Colorado would cause them to “suffer.”
In an excerpt first obtained by 9NEWS, communications liaison Andres Carrera urges a group of recent arrivals at a migrant shelter to seek support elsewhere.
“The opportunities are over,” Carrera says in Spanish. ‘New York gives you more. Chicago gives you more. So I suggest you go where there is longer term shelter. There are also more employment opportunities there.’
According to Mayor Mike Johnston, the overburdened city has allocated more than $100 million for housing, medical care and education for asylum seekers.
But amid the ongoing migrant crisis, that number could rise to $180 million — 15 percent of Denver’s annual budget.
Denver official Andres Carrera urged asylum seekers to flee to locations including New York and Chicago, with the city offering to foot the bill for their travel
“The opportunities are over,” Carrera said, telling the crowd they would “suffer” if they stayed in Colorado
The migrants in the video were bused to Denver last week by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Photo: Migrants being processed in El Paso to be sent to Denver)
The migrants in the video were bused to Denver on March 26 as part of an effort coordinated by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, according to a city spokesperson.
Abbott has been sending migrants from the Mexican border to Democratic-run sanctuary cities for more than a year in an effort to stoke mass anger over the Biden administration’s border policies.
“The main importer of migrants to New York is not Texas, it’s Joe Biden,” the Republican said at an event held by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, in September. ‘It’s a crisis. It’s chaotic and it has to stop.’
In the footage, Carerra tells the crowd that Denver has “received too many migrants” and has run out of resources since then.
“If you stay here, you will suffer even more and I don’t want to see this,” he says.
Carerra then claims that officials will purchase migrant tickets for each city. We can take you to the Canadian border, anywhere!’
While Denver places limits on the amount of time newcomers can stay in city shelters — two weeks for individuals and six weeks for families with children — the city is offering incentives such as paying for bus tickets to destinations of their choice, including cities near the Canadian border. border.
The city has also started clearing migrant camps. Just last week, two camps were swept in one day: one in front of the Elitch Gardens amusement park and another in southwest Denver.
While the migrants, mostly single men, initially refused to be bused to a shelter in protest, 23 of the approximately 55 people at Elitch Gardens later accepted, while nine others asked to continue their journey.
Mayor Mike Johnston warned that the city, which has already allocated $100 million to pay for shelter and food for migrants, could spend up to 15 percent of its budget
Other sanctuary cities like Chicago are just as overburdened. As of Saturday, two migrant shelters in Rogers Park’s Leona Beach and Little Village’s Pietrowski Park had been emptied
Last year, the city began opening camps in historically underserved black and Hispanic communities, often without notifying residents and local leaders.
Other sanctuary cities have begun to do the same. As of Saturday, Chicago had emptied its state shelters at Leona Beach in Rogers Park and Pietrowski Park in Little Village.
About 200 asylum seekers were taken elsewhere, including to a shuttered CVS in Little Village.
Last year, the city began opening encampments in historically disadvantaged black and Hispanic neighborhoods, angering longtime residents.
One community was Brighton Park, where the city signed a $91,400 per month agreement to lease land to build the first of the tent cities.
12th Councilwoman Julia Ramirez, who represents the district, claimed the deal was made without her or the community’s knowledge.
The crisis has reached a fever pitch in New York City, where roughly 180,000 migrants have arrived since 2022. According to the ‘Right to Shelter’ law, the city must provide food and housing.
Mayor Eric Adams implored the state to provide more funding during a joint hearing on the legislative budget last month.
“New Yorkers already transport the most asylum seekers. It’s wrong to ask them to do more. It has put the city in a precarious situation,” he said at the time.
New York City has seen approximately 180,000 migrants enter since 2022 and continues to provide food and housing under the ‘Right to Shelter’ law
Mayor Eric Adams begged the state for more funding during a budget hearing last month
He defended a controversial program that provides migrants with pre-loaded debit cards, denying it would send a “mixed message” to new asylum seekers.
The pilot program launched last week with 10 families and will be expanded to 115 families, giving people with children $350 per week for six weeks.
Amid the resource crunch, New York City has been forced to look for new ways to save money. This includes a program granting debit cards to some migrants, which Adams defended at a news conference last week.
The city has contracted up to $53 million with a financial services company to provide the cards, which will be used exclusively for food and basic needs.
The pilot program started on March 25 with 10 families and will expand to 115 families, giving people with children $350 per week for six weeks.
The city could save as much as $7.2 million a year with the program, which provides money directly to migrants rather than paying for the production and delivery of boxed meals.
When asked if providing debit cards sent migrants crossing the border a “mixed message,” Adams was defiant.
“It sends a mixed message when it’s distorted,” he said.