By Sara Higdon – The Post Millennial
On Friday, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced budget cuts to city programs to pay for the illegal immigration crisis it is currently experiencing which is expected to cost over nearly $180 million.
According to the Colorado Sun, Denver has received nearly 40,000 illegal immigrants over the past year, which the mayor claimed is the highest amount per capita among US cities.
In his speech, Mayor Johnston said, “I want to thank every resident in the city who has showed up to cook a meal for someone who has arrived, who has welcomed somebody to their home, who has offered them a job, who said, We will help you find your way.’” He added. “You’ve done your part. The city will do our part. The federal government did not do their part.”
Some of the cuts include ending in-person vehicle registration renewals, cutting back on landscaping expenses, and cutting hours at recreation centers. The proposal is expected to save $5 million or about one-fourth of the expected cost of dealing with the crisis.
The cuts announced Friday are just the start of a plan Mayor Johnson and the city are taking to reduce its budget by nearly $60 million, Fox News reports. The plan is reportedly to cut down or consolidate current shelters housing the illegal immigrants, and are asking residents to assist with housing them.
Denver Human Services employee, John Ewing told Fox 31, “We put out a feeler to all the landlords we have connections with.” He added, “Basically said, listen, we’re going to have some newcomers who are going to need housing.”
The city has also reached out to landlords to see if they would be willing to rent to illegal immigrants who can afford it. Ewing noted, “We’ve got kind of a rent cap – $2,000.”
Denver is a sanctuary city of 710,000 residents, where tent cities for illegal immigrants began to pop up as its shelters were overflowing earlier this year. In a January interview with Fox, Samantha Menendez, co-owner of “One Shot Back” bar in Denver, noted the “200 plus tents around our business.”