Migrants Offered Tickets to Canadian Border

A city already financially sprung from housing thousands of migrants reportedly told newcomers that it will subsidize their travel to other U.S. cities or even to the Canadian border.

Denver, joined by other Democratic-run cities like Chicago and New York City, has been on the frontline of combatting an overflow of migrants who have crossed into the country from the southern border. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in February that his city, the largest in Colorado, was running "out of space" for migrants in shelters and began a multi-week discharge in what has been described as the largest per-capita surge of migrants into one area in the entire United States.

The city's coffers have already run thin, spending more than $58 million as of last month to deal with the incoming migrants. As of March 31, 40,283 migrants have entered the city, in total amounting to about 5.6 percent of Denver's entire population—including 61 newcomers on Easter Sunday. There are 754 migrants currently sheltered, according to the city's migrant dashboard.

"You don't have to walk anywhere, we can buy you a free ticket. You can go to any city. We can take you up to the Canadian border, wherever!" Denver's Newcomer Communications Liaison Andres Carrera told migrants in Spanish in one of the city's shelters, according to a video clip obtained by local NBC affiliate KUSA.

Jordan Fuja, press secretary for Johnston, told Newsweek via email on Monday morning that the city does not purchase any tickets for travel outside of the U.S., but will assist newcomers with subsidized bus tickets to help them continue their journeys in other U.S. cities.

He also said that the clip in question was just "a small part" of the work Carrera and others on his team have put in to help newcomers.

"We're proud of the support we've been able to offer so far, but without federal support, Denver does not have the resources or capacity to maintain this outsized share of the load," Fuja said. "Given the number of people who have arrived in Denver, there are very few opportunities for work and housing, and those opportunities only continue to shrink. Encouraging onward travel—to destinations where newcomers may have support networks or better opportunities—will continue to be a critical part of our long-term strategy to ensure the greatest opportunity for success for both newcomers and the city of Denver."

Newsweek reached out to the Canadian government via email for comment.

Carrera, who also serves as Johnston's political director, reportedly said that cities like New York City and Chicago can give migrants "more," including job opportunities. Denver, like those cities, has been scrutinized by conservatives for being a so-called sanctuary city for migrants.

"We have received too many migrants and that is why we ran out of resources," Carrera added. "We are not going to block you if you want to say here. If you stay here you are going to suffer even more, and I don't want to see this."

At the beginning of last month, Denver officials announced the offering of work permits to thousands of migrants within city limits. It was accompanied by consolidation efforts involving 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.

Fuja told Newsweek last month that some 1,300 individuals were anticipated to go through the work clinics in March and April—in addition to those identified as having entered the U.S. through a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One appointment.

Aside from work permits and fewer arrivals, Fuja said Denver has conducted other actions in the ongoing migrant saga, including:

• A reprieve in the pace of new arrivals, though average occupancies remain higher in 2024 than in 2023 and are expected to remain higher overall this year.
• Increasing need for services that help families move safely out of shelter without ending up on the streets.
• The lack of temporary protected status for more recent arrivals (those who arrived before August 1 had TPS and could work to support themselves).

The biggest overall impact, Fuja said, is congressional Republicans' lack of desire to pass any type of legislation reform pertaining to immigration. In February, Republicans in the Senate killed a comprehensive bill largely drafted by one of their own, Senator James Lankford, which Democrats have claimed was done at the direction of presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

"The responsibility for Denver's budget shortfall rests solely on the shoulders of Donald Trump and House Republicans who killed historic, bipartisan legislation that would've brought security to the border and funding for cities to manage this crisis," Fuja said. "As Denver works around the clock to reduce our costs, Mayor Johnston will continue to advocate to the Biden administration and congressional leaders to pass legislation that would increase funding for cities, speed up work authorization for newcomers, and bring stability to the border."