City should rethink immigrant policy
Re: “Migrant crisis: Denver plans cutbacks to defray costs,” Feb. 10 news story
In August 2017, thenmayor Michael Hancock issued Executive Order 142, which laid the groundwork for the illegal immigration surge we have so unfortunately experienced in Denver. Drafted in part as a political counterpunch to then-president Donald Trump’s stance on illegal immigration, this order welcomed illegal immigrants and mandated they receive access to city of Denver facilities, services and programs.
Fast forward to 2024. Denver has welcomed nearly 40,000 illegal immigrants; this is the most of any U.S. city on a per capita basis. These are individuals who are fleeing desperate situations in China, Africa, and South America and who have willingly bypassed the legal immigration process, although many have opened asylum cases upon entry.
The annual direct budget impact to the city is projected to cost $180 million in 2024. Mayor Johnston has already announced reductions in services to libraries, the DMV, and recreational centers; surely more will follow and further reduce our quality of life and increase our tax bills.
Reportedly, Mayor Johnston is “furious” about the lack of available federal funds to fund his open border initiative. Guess what, mayor? We, too, are furious, but not for the absence of federal funding to propagate an open border policy.
We are furious with your limp efforts to govern our city in a non-partisan manner, as you have promised. If you are as committed to resolving this issue as you claim, here’s one easy solution: repeal Executive Order 142. Immigration and border policy is the business of the federal officials and Denver, by failing to repeal Executive Order 142, undermines federal efforts.
It’s a shame to see that taxpayers will have to suffer cuts in services as a result of the wide-open Southern border. It’s also a shame that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has to take the party line and blame the Republican leadership in Congress for not passing comprehensive immigration reform. That leads me to believe that this problem will never be resolved because to solve a problem, you must correctly identify the cause of the problem, which Democrats refuse to do.
The overwhelming migrant issue we are experiencing lies solely at the feet of Joe Biden for undoing successful policies that were already in place. Biden has wasted untold amounts of taxpayer dollars with this foreign policy failure that is straining cities’ budgets.
A large segment of our society has had enough and just wants the border closed now! Why are Democrats and the White House unwilling to stop this bleeding?