Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock | Michael B. Hancock/Facebook
Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock | Michael B. Hancock/Facebook
In a Jan. 9 article with the Denverite, Mayor Michael B. Hancock suggested it was time to shut down migrant housing at the city's recreation centers.
“We gotta get the rec centers back to their intended purpose," Hancock said.
In a Jan. 11 discussion with PBS, Hancock gave people an idea of what's still happening with migrants. The state may have stopped busing migrants elsewhere, but it's still affecting Denver. Hancock said: "We are still seeing about 50 migrants arrive in Denver on a daily basis. Right now, we are housing over 1,200 migrants between city shelters, emergency shelters, and the shelters of our partners, who are — who — nonprofits and faith organizations that have stepped up to help us through this crisis."
The City of Denver has a page on its website where it gives statistics and updates on the migrant situation. It shows that as of Jan. 11, there were As of 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11: 41 migrants who arrived overnight, 4,111 individuals served by the city since early December, and 528 migrants in the city's emergency shelters Interested individuals can find the website for future updates here: https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Office-of-Emergency-Management/Denver-Activates-Emergency-Shelter-for-Migrant-Arrival
On Jan. 9, the Denver City Council voted to extend a local disaster emergency declaration focused on sheltering migrants and asylum seekers. the declaration is now extended through Feb. 27, 2023
Denver officials have reached out to other communities, including Arapahoe County for assistance.
"They're asking for people and resources, both of which are very strained in the county right now," county spokesman Anders Nelson said. "So it does limit what we are able to do. But like everyone else, we are concerned about it and we want to help. We're just trying to figure out the ways that it might be possible," Nelson said. "Our funds are restricted. And so we have limited resources that we can use. And right now we are approaching it and just trying to see what areas we can actually make an impact in."
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