A housing advocacy group is slamming Denver’s new Asylum Seekers Program as “insufficient” and “a slap in the face,” even staging a protest to voice their disapproval — as the city spends tens of millions of dollars on migrant aid and slashes its emergency services budget to stave off insolvency in the wake of the influx.
The surge of new arrivals has thrown the Mile High City’s city’s budget into a tailspin. More than 40,000 migrants have found their way to Denver since December 2022 — more per capita than any other US city — at a total cost of around $68 million.
Of those funds, approximately $35 million was spent between December 2023 and March alone, according to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s office.
The program would be modified to provide “a long-term, sustainable response” that addresses what his office calls a “crisis,” the Democrat said in a statement Wednesday.
The program will provide six months of free housing, food assistance, workforce training and more to the approximately 1,000 migrants currently in the city’s shelter system as they await authorization to work, which due to federal asylum seeker law can take up to 180 days.
“After more than a year of facing this crisis together, Denver finally has a sustainable plan for treating our newcomers with dignity while avoiding the worst cuts to city services,” Johnston’s office said.
However, Denver’s emergency services weren’t completely spared from budget cuts to help pay for migrant aid.
Under the new program, the Denver Police Department budget will be cut by around $8.4 million, or 1.9%. Most of the savings will come from not filling open positions with new recruits, according to Newsweek.
The city’s fire department budget will also take a $2.5 million haircut, a bit less than 1 percent of its total budget.
Until now, migrants were allowed to stay in shelters between two and six weeks, but the new rules dictate that migrants arriving in the city after April 10 must vacate after 24-72 hours, after which they will be “provided a short-term stay at a congregate site along with assistance securing onward travel to another destination.”
Advocacy group Housekeys Action Network Denver (HAND) decried the changes, telling local ABC affiliate KMGH-TV that the shift would overwhelm groups working to help migrants.
“Every new migrant that comes is going to be left to fend for themselves after 24 to 72 hours,” HAND spokesperson V. Reeves told the station.
“It’s a slap in the face and an offensive period of time.”
Migrant Willy Bastidas said the policy would only exacerbate the homelessness crisis families are facing.
“I think that it’s insufficient,” he told KMGH, including a shot at Mayor Johnston in his grievance airing.
“The mayor doesn’t represent us … He needs to listen to us and work with us to a better solution.”
HAND did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
