Denver to Cut Funds for Police, City Agencies to Address Migrant Influx

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is planning to cut $45 million from city agencies including the police to help fund a program to deal with a recent influx of migrants.

Johnston, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday that the Colorado capital was budgeting $89.9 million to respond to "the newcomer crisis" with an asylum-seekers program that his office said would be "providing a long-term, sustainable" solution "that avoids significant cuts to public services."

Under the plan, the Denver Police Department budget would be cut by approximately 1.9 percent, or $8.4 million, mostly from not hiring any new recruits for positions that are currently open, according to Denver NBC affiliate KUSA. The fire department's budget would see a $2.5 million reduction, less than 1 percent of its budget.

By Friday, the plan had sparked outrage from conservatives who argued that it was an example of a "Democrat-run city" attempting to "defund the police" after it was reported on by several right-wing media outlets like The Daily Wire and The Daily Caller. Fox News host Sean Hannity referred to the cuts as "liberal lunacy."

Johnston spokesperson Jordan Fuja told Newsweek via email on Friday that the "adjustment to the Denver Police Department's budget was carefully crafted with safety leaders and Mayor Johnston to ensure there would be no impact to the department's public services."

"To say that Denver is 'defunding the police' is a willful mischaracterization of the budget adjustments, which actually just delays the purchase of new furniture and shifts the funding source for one cadet class," Fuja said.

"In fact, Mayor Johnston has invested millions to add 167 new police recruits to our force in 2024, and will continue to invest in public safety to ensure every Denverite is safe in their city," she added.

According to Johnston's office, the Denver Asylum Seekers Program will help migrants secure housing and work authorization for up to six months after they apply for asylum. It pertains to "the approximately 1,000 people currently in the city's newcomer shelter system."

"Individuals arriving in Denver after April 10 will be provided a short-term stay at a congregate site along with assistance securing onward travel to another destination," the mayor's office said in a news release. "Newcomers who choose to remain in Denver may utilize available local and community support."

Denver has spent over $68 million on services related to migrants over the past 16 months of "significantly increased migration" that has resulted in more than 40,000 new arrivals. Over half of the money was spent very recently, from December to last month.

The city said the program would be paid for with "budget adjustments" and without laying off any city employees. The $45 million saved through the cuts will be combined with an already-secured $44 million to fully fund the program without additional budget reductions.

Johnston said in a statement that the city "finally has a sustainable plan for treating our newcomers with dignity while avoiding the worst cuts to city services" following "more than a year of facing this crisis."

"So many times we were told that we couldn't be compassionate while still being fiscally responsible," Johnston said. "Today is proof that our hardest challenges are still solvable, and that together we are the ones who will solve them."

In a press conference on Wednesday, Johnston said that it was a "core priority" to avoid impacting public safety and celebrated that the cuts that were made were "drastically lower" than initial estimates of "around 15 percent."

Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said during the press conference that law enforcement recognized its "need to be partners in this endeavor" and insisted that the budget cuts would not affect police services.

"We were able to make sure that we provide all of our core services without having any impact [from] the budget at all," Thomas said. "I'm certainly happy that we've found a pathway to help these migrants that are coming into our city."