Denver, Colorado, may furlough some of its existing staff, while considerations were previously made to start hiring illegal immigrants to work for the city, according to The Daily Wire.
The city is claiming that budget cuts resulting from its growing migrant crisis have forced it into a position where some current staff will have their hours cut to zero, Denver 9 News reported on Monday. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Denver Mayor Mike Johnson told The Daily Wire that the city had considered hiring migrants as their inability to work without a federal permit is straining the city’s budget, but is not currently pursuing that option due to legal risks. (RELATED: Blue City Cracks Down After Taking More Migrants Per Capita Than Anywhere Else)
“The reduction in hours of operation and programs will affect the number of hours worked by many on-call, some to the point where they may not receive any hours,” Denver Parks and Recreation Director Jolon Clark said in a statement, according to 9 News. “The final decisions on hours for any individual position have not been made yet.”
I’m proud of what our city has done in the face of the migrant crisis, but without federal aid, we’re facing tough choices—starting with cuts to DMV and Parks & Rec. More conversations ahead as we navigate this challenge, but we’ll push through. Denver is bigger than this moment. pic.twitter.com/8eiDjQjRRJ
— Mayor Mike Johnston (@MikeJohnstonCO) February 10, 2024
Democratic Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper previously suggested cities could start hiring migrants, according to 9 News.
“I think at a certain point, if the federal government doesn’t act, local communities are going to have to. They’re going to have to figure out some way to say, you can work,” Hickenlooper told 9 News. “If the federal government wants to come down and throw the book at us, we’ll deal with the legal costs. Because people aren’t being left with any other choices.”
Denver’s budget cuts come in favor of pouring more taxpayer money into addressing the sanctuary city’s surging migrant crisis, providing migrants with housing, education and healthcare services.
Additionally, Denver Public Schools (DPS) – a system separate from the city – is employing non-citizens and equipping them with visas to legitimize their presence in the U.S., according to internal emails reviewed by the Daily Wire. Deborah Staten, deputy chief of staff for the superintendent, wrote in an email in October to a school board president that the DPS hiring department was hosting “ELA-S Hiring Fairs and Visa-sponsored employee welcome events.”
DPS also hosted an event discussing “visa sponsorship eligibility” and a “Visa Sponsorship Welcome Night… for all of our DPS visa-sponsored employees,” the Daily Wire reported.
City Deputy Chief Of Staff Evan Dreyer wrote in an email to Johnston a proposition to use DPS buildings as “legal clinics in November and December to help new arrivals apply for Temporary Protected Status and Employment Authorization Documents,” according to the Daily Wire.
Emails also reviewed by Daily Wire indicate that DPS was working with Johnston’s office to use a property purchased by system as an extension of the Denver School of Arts as a “possible migrant shelter.”
The city has already spent tens of millions to address the migrant crisis and may spend as much as $180 million on the problem in 2024.
Johnston’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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