The city of Denver is blaming the migrant crisis on the failure of the U.S. Congress to pass a border security deal this week, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
Denver has the most immigrants per capita of any city in the United States except New York, putting a strain on city resources and services. Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver is furious that Congress failed this week to pass a border security deal that would have helped address the country's immigration crisis, and by extension the city's. according to In WSJ. (Related: Denver makes deep budget cuts to deal with growing immigration crisis)
“Today is a day of sadness for Denver residents,” Johnston said. Said in an Instagram post on Thursday. “And they should be furious because we know there is a humanitarian crisis in this city.”
Mr Johnston said: “We should all be heartbroken and furious at the government's failure to act on the migrant crisis.”
I'm proud of what our city has done in the face of the immigration crisis, but without federal aid, we face tough choices, starting with cuts to the DMV and Parks & Rec. Many more conversations are needed to overcome this challenge, but we will press on. Denver is bigger now. pic.twitter.com/8eiDjQjRRJ
— Mayor Mike Johnston (@MikeJohnstonCO) February 10, 2024
The Senate unveiled a bill Sunday that would tie border security funding to foreign aid funding for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region. The bill was criticized by Republican lawmakers for taking a too weak approach to border security and failing to address the fundamental problems of the immigration crisis.
The bill was rejected by House Republicans and died in the Senate this week.
According to the WSJ, the city of Denver is becoming increasingly concerned about the lack of federal aid for the city's immigration crisis. The city of 713,000 has welcomed more than 40,000 immigrants in the past year, making it the second-highest immigrant per capita of any city.
According to the Journal, the city spent tens of millions of dollars trying to quell the crisis. As of February 5th, Denver $42 million In 2023, about housing and feeding newly arrived migrants. The Denver Post reports that public schools are preparing to admit thousands of new students, costing the city more than $17.5 million. The city is also working to provide health care to immigrant residents, adding another $10 million to the bill.
According to WSJ, the immigration crisis has affected nearly all of Denver. He could pay an additional $180 million in 2024 as the city continues to address the crisis.budget cut Already this year's work is underway to support funding for migrant assistance services.
If the Senate bill fails, sanctuary cities, including Denver, would receive $1.4 billion in compensation, according to the Journal. The Biden administration has so far provided Denver with $11 million in reimbursement, but the city is requesting an additional $2.6 million.
“Denver residents have done their part, the city will do ours. The federal government has failed to do its part,” Johnston said Friday. “Tackling this crisis will require us to make sacrifices together, but we will continue to work together to get through this moment.”
Johnston did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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