Credit: CBdenver via Wikipedia
CV NEWS FEED // Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston confirmed last week that his city will allocate over $45 million from city agencies to programs for migrants.
To meet this lofty spending goal, the city will cut over $8 million from its police department.
FOX News reported that the $45.9 million is “in addition to $44 million in spending already secured for the [migrant] program through previous budget moves.”
Therefore, Denver is currently allocating a total of $89.9 million to its burgeoning migrant population.
“The mayor’s office says it will avoid layoffs or furloughs of employees, but there will still be cuts to find the extra $45.9 million in funding,” FOX stated. “The mayor’s office will see its budget cut by nearly 10%.”
In a press release last Friday, Johnston’s office called the spending plan “the first step in providing a long-term, sustainable response to the newcomer crisis that avoids significant cuts to public services.”
The same day, Newsweek indicated that “[u]nder 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.”
“The fire department’s budget would see a $2.5 million reduction, less than 1 percent of its budget,” Newsweek continued.
FOX further noted that Denver’s spending on migrants “skyrocketed last year from $2 million a month in August to $15 million in December.”
“In January, migrant numbers peaked at around 5,000 in shelters but have since dropped to around 1,000, according to official figures,” added FOX.
FOX News reported in January that Johnston “was raised Catholic and considers himself a Christian.”
“[Johnston] said he viewed the migrant issue as a matter of faith, and pointed to the passage in the Gospel of Mark, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’” added FOX’s January report.
The mayor told FOX at the time:
There is nothing clearer than to say those folks that need you most are your primary obligation as a person of faith.
We are called not to serve those who have much, but serve those who have little. And I feel like that’s not just a faith-based commitment. For me, that’s literally written on the bottom of the Statue of Liberty, where it says, “Send us your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
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Another heavily Democratic city may follow Denver in drastically increasing the amount of money it budgets toward migrant programs.
Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has requested an additional $70 million in funding for such programs. This is on top of the $150 million the Windy City has already allocated to migrants so far this year.
CBS News noted that the Chicago City Council “delayed a final vote” on the $70 million package Wednesday.
“The City Council Budget Committee approved the funding request on Monday on a 20-8 vote, setting it up for final approval on Wednesday,” CBS continued:
But Budget Committee Chair Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) moved during Wednesday’s full City Council meeting to delay that final vote.
The full City Council will meet again on Friday afternoon to take up the funding request.
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