Illegal migrants and migrant advocacy groups are blasting Denver’s new Asylum Seekers Program that offers six months of free housing, calling it “insufficient” and “offensive.”
Earlier this month, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced a new $90 million dollar program that would provide aid to illegal migrant arrivals; the program was funded by slashing the budgets of Police and Fire Departments.
From Fox News:
Last week, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced that his city’s migrant program would now provide what he called “a long-term, sustainable response” to address the migrant “crisis” locally. The program will offer six months of free housing, food assistance, workforce training and more to the roughly 1,000 migrants currently in the city’s shelter system as they wait for authorization to work, according to the New York Post. Due to the federal asylum seeker law, it can take up to 180 days to obtain working authorization.
Johnston’s office said his plan will treat “our newcomers with dignity while avoiding the worst cuts to city services.” But to make the program financially feasible and cover the cost of migrant services, Johnston made budget cuts in other areas, including his emergency departments.
Under the new program, the Denver Police Department budget will be slashed by roughly $8.4 million, or 1.9%, Newsweek reported. The city’s fire department will also face a budget reduction.
The new plan mandates that migrants who arrive in the city must vacate shelters 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,” the Post reported. Previously, migrants were allowed to stay in shelters between two and six weeks.
Housing advocacy group Housekeys Action Network Denver (HAND) slammed Johnston for the changes, accusing the Democrat of taking insufficient action to accommodate the migrants in his city.
“Every new migrant that comes is going to be left to fend for themselves after 24 to 72 hours,” HAND spokesperson V. Reeves told local ABC affiliate KMGH-TV. Reeves called the program “a slap in the face and an offensive period of time.”
More over at Fox News:
Denver migrant advocates say six months of free rent, food not enough: ‘A slap in the face’ and ‘offensive’ https://t.co/3hZazxHj1p
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