Colorado City Rushes to Get Migrants Work Permits as Shelters Close

Denver is providing work permits to some 1,300 migrants as new arrivals are decreasing and leading to a large budget windfall.

Colorado's capital has received more migrants per capita than any other U.S. city not on the U.S.-Mexico border. The city has spent more than $58 million to support over 38,860 migrants, of which an estimated $12.2 million will be reimbursed by the federal government and $3.5 million will be reimbursed by the state.

In January, Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, joined Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott in expressing concerns about the influx of migrants illegally entering the U.S. No one state or city "should have to carry the entire weight of this newcomer population," Johnston said.

On Wednesday, Johnston announced that 600 migrants have already submitted forms for work authorization forms, while approximately another 700 are expected to do the same in the coming weeks.

"The work clinics are one of the many efforts the city is doing to ensure the community has a direct connection to support," Denver City Council President Jamie Torres said in a statement.

"I cannot discount the dozens of community volunteers and partners who have supported newcomers throughout this process. We thank them for their expertise, time and passion for our community," she said.

Newsweek reached out by email to the mayor's office for comment. A spokesperson for the City Council referred Newsweek to the mayor's office for any comments because Johnston's administration is carrying out migrant initiatives that the council is not involved with.

Denver is taking additional steps regarding migrants, including consolidating newcomer shelter operations from seven hotels to three and closing four hotels currently housing migrants—one every week over the next month.

The consolidation is estimated to save the city $60 million, decreasing the 2024 budget shortfall from approximately $180 million to as low as $120 million.

"It does feel like a turning point for us," Johnston said, according to local TV station KUSA. "It seemed like the challenge kept getting harder and harder. It was almost as if the federal government wanted to prove they could make the hill steeper and steeper at every moment, thinking that we would give up.

"But we didn't, and we instead found a way to say we can deliver a solution that matches both our values," he continued. "We can both still be a city that's welcoming, and we can be a city that realizes we have to be conservative with our fiscal resources."

As of Thursday, 38,941 migrants have been "served by city," dating back to December 2022, according to a city online dashboard. Just on Thursday, another 25 migrants came to the city. Denver is now sheltering 2,223 migrants.

Numbers have been essentially cut in half in the past two months, as nearly 5,000 migrants were housed in shelters in December and January. Daily arrivals exceeded 200 individuals in that time span.

The mayor also highlighted other initiatives:

• Resuming length-of-stay limits for all shelter guests, notably 14 days for individuals and 42 days for families with children. Last month, Johnston said the city was running "out of space."
• Intentional and supportive case management, resource navigation and housing assistance, with an emphasis on preventing people from ending up on the streets.
• Continuing to offer travel options for migrants to other locations.

Other cities in Colorado, such as Colorado Springs and Aurora, have resisted being so-called sanctuary cities for migrants, with officials previously telling Newsweek that they don't have the resources to house migrants coming into their municipalities.