Migrants in Denver issue list of 13 demands that must be met before they’ll leave street encampment for shelter, including better food and work permits

Migrants in Denver have created a list of 13 requirements they say must be met before they can leave the street encampment and go to a shelter.

On Wednesday, the group said that if their long list of demands, including better food options and work permits, are met, they will voluntarily leave their tents and go to city-funded shelters.

Denver Human Services has been trying to convince the migrants to get off the streets, and according to city officials, even with the demands, that offer still remains for those who leave.

V Reeves, an immigrant advocate, told the story KDVR‘The camp as a collective came up with a set of demands.’

The list, which has been circulating on social media, was created after the city began moving migrants from under-railway encampments to shelters early Wednesday.

“This morning they sent out buses to take people over without showing that document and without any form of signature for accountability,” Reeves said.

Read the list below:

Demanding that migrants accept DCC shelter

1. Migrants will cook their own food with fresh, culturally appropriate ingredients supplied by the city instead of ready-made meals – rice, chicken, flour, oil, butter, tomatoes, onions, etc… Also, people will not are punished for bringing in and eating outside food.

2. Access to the shower will be available without time limit and can be used at any time: we are not in the military, we are civilians.

3. Visits from medical professionals will occur regularly and referrals/connections for specialist care will be made as necessary.

4. Everyone will receive the same housing assistance offered to others. They can’t kick people out within thirty days without something stable having been achieved.

5. There must be a clear, fair process before abandoning anyone for any reason, including verbal, written and final warnings.

6. All shelter residents will have access to employment support, including applications for work permits for those who qualify.

7. A free immigration lawyer should be arranged for each individual/family to discuss/pursue their case, after which the City will provide ongoing legal support in the form of immigration document clinics, including transportation to relevant court hearings.

8. The municipality ensures privacy for families/individuals in the shelter.

9. No more verbal, physical or mental abuse will be allowed by staff, including no sheriff sleeping inside and supervising 24/7. We are not criminals and will not be treated as such.

10. Transportation will be provided for all children to and from their school until they finish in 3 weeks.

11. No families breaking up, regardless of whether family members have children or not. The camp stays together.

12. The city should schedule a meeting as soon as possible with the mayor and those directly involved in running the Newcomer Program to discuss further improvements and ways to support migrants.

13. The city must provide all residents with a document signed by a city official in English and Spanish with all these requirements, including a number to call to report abuse.

Reeves believes that instead of acceding to their demands, the city has chosen to take matters into their own hands.

In response to the migrants’ new demands, the city said it has tried to work with them.

“We’re offering temporary shelter, really just to get families to leave the camp and come in,” said Jon Ewing with Denver Human Services.

Ewing explained that the shelters will provide better conditions than what the migrants currently face.

He said the shelters will offer “three meals a day” and people can even cook for themselves if they want.

“There have been so many complaints about food being spoiled or not enough, and malnutrition among children,” Ewing said.

Ewing said the city’s offer comes with benefits, including helping immigrants understand what they do and don’t qualify for.

He said, “What is a viable path to success for you that doesn’t end up on the streets of Denver?”

Ewing added that the city has tried to find a “compromise” with migrants and that the hope is that no “families will show up on the streets of Denver.”

It is unclear whether the city will meet the migrant’s demands and what will happen next.

For now, the city has decided to continue shuttling buses to the encampment for migrants who want to leave the streets and go to an indoor, city-run shelter or hotel.

In April, Denver Communications Liaison Andres Carrera implored migrant families to move to other shelter cities such as New York or Chicago.

Carrera warned them that Colorado did not have the proper resources to care for them and that they would “suffer.”

“The opportunities are over,” Carrera said 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.

Other sanctuary cities have begun to do the same, as Chicago previously cleared out its state-run shelters in Rogers Park’s Leona Beach and Little Village’s Pietrowski Park.

The crisis has also 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.