CV NEWS FEED // Denver, Colorado is experiencing rising crime rates in certain districts, sparking conversations among city council members about a potential correlation to the city’s immigration-friendly programs.
Denver has been a “sanctuary city” since 2017, as part of a mostly emblematic response to then-President Trump’s anti immigration policies.
But since the governor of Texas started bussing illegal immigrants to Denver and other “sanctuary cities” across the United States, Denver has taken in more migrants than any of its size in the country and by April 2024 had spent $60 million on supports for them, forcing the cutting of budgets from other services, such as the DMV and the police department.
According to a July 16 report from the Center Square, city council members discussed this issue when they met on July 10 for a Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee meeting.
Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer of District 5 said at the meeting that there is “a hotspot in District 5, and we know that part of that hotspot is related to residents who have been housed in that apartment complex during our migrant crisis.”
The Center Square reported that Sawyer added, “a vast, vast majority of people who are entering our programs are fantastic humans who want a better life,” but admitted, “not all of them.”
The Denver government website published a report stating that as of July 1, “Denver has supported 42,392 newcomers from the southern border at a cost of more than $72 million,” The Center Square highlighted.
In light of increased crime in various city districts and the city’s immigration-friendly programs, the Center Square reached out to the Denver Police Department for comment.
In a statement, the Department explained that it does not collect data on citizenship status.
“It’s important for witnesses and victims of crime to know that DPD does not ask for citizenship status, so they are more inclined to report crimes, provide information, receive victim services, and participate in the judicial process,” the Department statement reads.
