The influx of immigrants to Denver, which has seen the arrival of over 42,000 people to the city's metro area over the past year and a half. In all, the city spent between $216 million and $340 million to shelter migrants who have arrived, meant to cover costs of food, clothes, and education.
However, the Biden administration's asylum ban, instituted in June, had a massive effect on the amount of immigrants crossing the southern border and, as a result, the city of Denver saw arrivals dwindle to the point that three weeks ago the city decided to end a program aimed at helping migrants obtain temporary housing for six months, job training, language instruction and legal support to file asylum claims.
The number of arrivals has been reduced so much in fact that Denver has stopped tracking the daily number of immigrants arriving in the city following the closure of the last temporary shelter on October 3, according to the Denver Gazette.
Denver's response throughout the humanitarian crisis has largely been funded by local taxpayers. While it is unclear where most of the immigrants crossed the border, many are believed to have come through El Paso, Texas as a result of Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star, which contemplated the bussing of arrivals to Democratic-led sanctuary cities including New York City, Chicago and Denver.
During the height of the crisis, Texas officials estimated that about 30% of the immigrants at the border were heading to Colorado. Denver's policies offering free shelter and travel to other destinations, such as Salt Lake City, Chicago, and New York, were cited as a pull factor by some Texas officials. Denver also faced criticism from neighboring communities and states over its handling of the situation, with some blaming its "sanctuary city" status.
In response, neighboring areas like Castle Rock and Douglas County have taken legal action, according to the Gazzette. Castle Rock's Town Council approved a motion to explore suing Denver over its immigration policies, which they claim are negatively impacting nearby counties. Douglas County previously filed a lawsuit against Colorado over state laws restricting local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
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