Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis announced on Saturday that he would stop busing migrants to Chicago and New York City after “a very productive conversation” with the mayors.
Polis’s statement hit the federal government for its lack of action on immigration reform and border security. He also said the state would not stop migrants from traveling elsewhere if they choose not to stay in Colorado:
“People fleeing violence and oppression in search of a better life for themselves and their families deserve our respect not political games and we are grateful we have been able to assist migrants to reach their final destination. We refuse to keep people against their will if they desire to travel elsewhere. While the federal government and Congress, unfortunately, have failed the American people on immigration reform and border security, Colorado continues to assure culturally competent and humane support to help assist migrants escaping oppression.”Also, the Governor had a very productive conversation with Mayor Adams and Mayor Lightfoot today where he shared that there are no more buses scheduled for migrants from Denver to Chicago at this time, and the final chartered transportation to New York City will be successfully completed tomorrow. The state is partnering with the city of Denver and non-profits to continue assisting the city of Denver to continue to ensure this process is being conducted in a humane manner. Now that nationwide travel has returned to the status quo because the holidays and the impact of weather have normalized transportation pathways, Colorado has been in the process of scaling back this transportation.
Polis has been sending migrants to other cities “for weeks.” Denver has seen “more than 3,500 migrants” in the past month while “each night 1,800 asylum seekers have sought shelter in the city.”
Colorado earmarked $5 million to help migrants with costs. But since 70% of the migrants want to travel elsewhere, “the cost of helping them purchase bus tickets constitutes a fraction of the overall pot of cash.”
Polis wanted to escalate the busing after a winter storm paused travel arrangements for the migrants.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who made their cities sanctuary cities, threw a hissy fit even though Polis only sent those who wanted to go to those cities:
We urge you to follow the best practices set by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that identifies receiving states as leads in providing housing and wrap-around services to asylum seekers. Additionally, the city of Denver is known nationally for providing some of the best services for unhoused populations—setting best practices throughout the country—it is unusual that you would deprive new arrivals from accessing those resources. In fact, many new arrivals from Colorado had been in your care for weeks, receiving services, and establishing connections only to be uprooted with a promise the receiving cities cannot keep.To reiterate, you must stop busing migrants to Chicago and New York City. In the case of family reunification, let us work together to ensure that people are reconnected with their loved ones, however sending migrants to our cities whose systems are over capacity, where they may struggle to find shelter and other services is wrong and further victimizes these most vulnerable individuals. These actions do not live up to the values of a proclaimed welcoming state and should stop immediately.Instead, let us work together to advocate to the federal government for a national solution that responds to this need. New York City and Chicago have always been cities of immigrants. While we are all grappling with a manufactured humanitarian crisis, we must all come together to address this nationwide problem and look forward to working together to meet this challenge.
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