(ProsperNews.net) – Denver’s Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston is to make severe cuts to policing and other essential public services to pay for the city’s growing illegal immigrant population. Johnston announced a $45 million package for immigrants this year, including $8 million slashed from the police department’s budget. The funds will add to the $44 million already set aside for new arrivals to the Colorado capital, which saw its migrant expenses jump from $2 million in August to $15 million in December.
The Mayor said his own office will endure a 10% cut, but other public services must also tighten their belts. The fire department, for example, is set to lose $2.5 million.
The service cuts will fund a new initiative the Mayor’s office calls the “Denver Asylum Seekers Program.” This scheme will place illegal immigrants in housing for six months while they undergo training and seek work. Mr. Johnston said his city “finally has a sustainable plan for treating our newcomers with dignity.”
Denver has welcomed more than 40,000 illegal immigrants since 2022, overwhelming its homeless shelters and placing enormous strain on local health services. In January, the “safety net” hospital, Denver Health, asked state and federal governments for help as migrants ran up a $10 million unpaid bill. Dr. Steven Federico said the calls for assistance were “unheeded.”
While Denver’s Mayor continues to welcome migrants, residents of other Colorado towns and cities warn their officials not to follow suit. At the Lakewood city council meeting in February, an unusually high number of people filled the public gallery to demand councilors take active steps to deter migrants from coming. As people gathered in hallways and sat on stairs, one resident, Dawn Austin, stood up to caution councilors, “What you see tonight is informed voters who have watched Denver’s decline and don’t want the same here.”
Residents of Colorado Springs and Aurora have taken similar actions, which they say are pre-emptive protests against mass immigration.
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