Can Denver Withstand Any More Mass Migration?

Denver’s leaders have been some of the most outspoken supporters of open borders for years. When the current migrant crisis began, then-Mayor Michael Hancock and Colorado Governor Jared Polis both offered their welcome to the migrants. This welcome message was clearly heard. By mid-January 2023, there were 1,844 new migrants housed in Denver. By March 2024, the number of migrants had reached 40,000 arrivals, almost enough to fill Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. Such a large number in such a short time window has had serious consequences for the city and its inhabitants. By January 2024, Denver had the highest per capita migrant arrivals of any U.S. major city.

The pressure on housing and services has been immense. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report for 2023, Metro Denver had a homeless population of around 10,000 homeless people. This marks a dramatic 46 percent increase in the 2022 figure, and a 116 percent increase in families with children experiencing homelessness. Denver, which already had a significant problem with homelessness prior to the migrant crisis, has seen its homeless figures soar as the city struggles to find shelters for the new arrivals. With the Denver metro area being one of the most expensive in the nation, especially in terms of housing and rent, this is a serious issue that is being aggravated by constant new arrivals.

At first, Denver believed the surge of migrants would soon pass. When it soon became clear many were there to stay, the decision was made to try and limit shelter access. Former Mayor Hancock declared a state of emergency linked to migration, warning the city’s ability to provide for all the newcomers would be overwhelmed if something was not done. One measure taken was to restrict shelter access for migrants to two-week periods before being required to move on. While this policy had some initial success, it failed to address the core challenge of continued waves of new arrivals. Simply limiting their stays in shelters was not enough. By March 2024, Denver authorities, under current Mayor Mike Johnston, began asking commercial landlords to offer their properties to newcomers.

When putting migrants in shelters did not work, and with commercial landlords not leaping at the city’s invitation to house migrants, the city leadership tried a new tactic. Denver has begun simply begging migrants to leave. Footage emerged of the Mayor Johnston’s aides essentially pleading with migrants to leave Denver. In the presentation given in Spanish, an aide can be heard stressing the opportunities that exist in other America cities, and the city even offers to help them leave. The aide says, “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!”

Put simply, Denver is breaking under the strain. Having advertised itself as a sanctuary city that welcomed all migrants, the new arrivals took the city leadership at its word. As the city creaked and buckled under the strain, the cost to city residents has been huge. Mayor Johnston has announced cuts in funding to DMV offices in Denver, stating residents can no longer renew vehicles in person. Denver Parks and Recreations have also seen a budget cut that will prevent the planting of flowers in spring to save more money for migration services. The migrant crisis is costing the city $180 million per year, all costs borne by Denver’s taxpayers.

Colorado, once one of the most desirable states to live in, has now begun seeing more people leave the state than move in. Many may have concluded that the cost of funding never-ending migrant flows through their taxes is no longer a benefit of Colorado life they wish to participate in. They have concluded the Mayor of Denver’s call for “shared sacrifice” to help migrants is a sacrifice they no longer wish to endure.