A U.S. citizen who legally immigrated from Thailand told The Denver Gazette this week that illegal immigrant camps that have been set up in recent months are hurting her business and her community.
The woman, Tip Cordova, told the outlet that she immigrated to the United States and became the owner of a Shell gas station and a shop near I-25 in Denver 25 years ago. Now, President Joe Biden’s open border policies have allowed thousands of undocumented immigrants to infiltrate her community and set up camps outside her business (via The Denver Gazette):
Her gas station is also just a few steps from a camp that now includes more than 70 tents that sprouted up after immigrants — primarily from Venezuela — exhausted their vouchers to stay in a city-provided shelter. The immigrants illegally crossed into the U.S. and traveled to Denver.
“I want to cry right now,” Cordova said. “I can’t take it anymore.”
The reason?
Business, Cordova said, is down about 50% since the immigrants who set up camp behind her business began approaching customers for work and loitering on the property. She and her son, Sam Plumsukon, hold their breath everyday, worrying a vehicle will hit one of the children playing in the small parking lot.
Reportedly, trash litters two city blocks of the encampment and spills into Cordova’s property. Additionally, windshield wipers have disappeared from the gas station buckets, only for illegal immigrants carrying wipers to “emerge in the intersections adjacent to the gas station” trying to earn money by washing windshields of cars stopped at red lights.
Cordova and her son, Sam Plumsukon, have reportedly called the police many times over the issues involving the illegal immigrants. The city has seen over 35,000 immigrants from South and Central America.
“What’s going on right now is not a solution,” Plumsukon told the outlet.
Reportedly, Denver has endured five waves of illegal immigrants over the past year, costing taxpayers about $36 million.
Denver and other left-wing cities like Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York City have experienced an influx of illegal immigrants entering the cities. On several occasions, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said that the city is bursting at the seams and unable to handle any more illegal immigrants.