Denver takes new immigrant policy to front lines, sending city officials to Texas
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In an aerial view, immigrants pass through coils of razor wire while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on March 13 in El Paso, Texas. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images
Denver rolled out its new immigration strategy this week, part of which includes confronting the crisis on the front lines.
State of play: Two city officials traveled to El Paso, Texas, for a three-day trip to tell more than 20 immigrant shelter providers that Mayor Mike Johnston's arms-wide-open approach has changed, Denver Human Services spokesperson Jon Ewing tells us.
- The city has hit its resource limit, and long-term emergency support — like hotel lodging — is over for newcomers who aren't already within its shelter system.
Why it matters: Denver officials have visited the U.S.-Mexico border before, but this is the first time their message on the ground has been a largely unwelcoming one. It's also the latest sign Johnston is reversing course on his earlier tone toward immigrants.
The big picture: As the city rolls out its "asylum-seeker program" to provide roughly 1,000 people a path to work and independence complete with six months of rent, food assistance and job support, it's significantly limiting help for everyone else.
- The city will now have just one congregate shelter for immigrants. Anyone newly arriving from the southern border has 72 hours max to stay there before being kicked out unless they manage to squeeze into the program — which is unlikely since it's already near capacity with roughly 800 people already in line.
- In other words, anyone who isn't already here is essentially on their own, unless they can secure help from already-strapped nonprofits, volunteers or friends and family.
What they're saying: "What we want them to know is when they arrive how long they actually will have in shelter. We don't want them to be caught by surprise," Ewing says.
Reality check: Similar efforts at the border have been made by officials from Chicago and New York to "discourage" travel — but it hasn't stopped people from heading there, Ruben Garcia, who heads Annunciation House, which operates several immigrant shelters in El Paso, told Denverite.
The other side: Johnston's new policy is raising alarm among local service providers and advocacy groups, who call it "short-sighted" and "uninformed."
- "The unwelcoming policy will push people who have a support network here to arrive in another city where they do not. It will separate people from loved ones and likely destabilize communities in other receiving cities," AFSC Colorado shared in a statement with Axios Denver.
The bottom line: The mayor is walking back his previous migrant response strategy, which was projected to cost as much as $180 million this year and require unpopular budget cuts that slashed taxpayer services.
- His new plan is estimated to cost half as much and won't require reductions in major public-facing programs, the Johnson administration pledges.
What we're watching: The number of immigrants arriving in Denver has declined in recent months, but if migration patterns hold true — and President Biden doesn't issue the executive order he's hinted at to significantly limit southern border crossings by the end of this month — city officials say a surge could be on the way in late spring.