Dozens of illegal immigrants in Denver issued a lengthy list of demands that they say must be met before they agreed to leave the encampments and move to shelters funded by the city.
The group of illegal aliens sent a list of 13 demands to Democrat Mayor Mike Johnston on Wednesday which include, access to a free immigration lawyer, fresh food, and unlimited showers.
The issue arose after Johnston petitioned to have the group moved to more permanent shelters.
- Migrants will cook their own food with fresh, culturally appropriate ingredients provided by the City instead of premade meals- rice, chicken, flour, oil, butter, tomatoes, onions, etc... Also people will not be punished for bringing in and eating outside food.
- Shower access will be available without time limits and can be accessed whenever- we are not in the military, we're civilians.
- Medical professional visits will happen regularly and referrals/connections for specialty care will be made as needed.
- All will receive that same housing support that has been offered to others. They cannot kick people out in 30 days without something stable established.
- There needs to be a clear, just process before exiting someone for any reason- including verbal, written and final warnings.
- All shelter residents will receive connection to employment support, including work permit applications for those who qualify.
- Consultations for each person/family with a free immigration lawyer must be arranged to discuss/progress their cases, and then the City will provide on-going legal support in the form of immigration document clinics, and including transportation to relevant court dates.
- The City will provide privacy for families/ individuals within the shelter.
- No more verbal or physical or mental abuse will be permitted from the staff, including no sheriff sleeping inside & monitoring 24/7- we are not criminals and won't be treated as such.
- Transportation for all children to and from their schools will be provided until they finish in 3 weeks.
- No separating families, regardless of if family members have children or not. The camp will stay together.
- The City must schedule a meeting with the Mayor & those directly involved in running the Newcomer program ASAP to discuss further improvements & ways to support migrants.
- The City must provide all residents with a document signed by a City official in English & Spanish with all of these demands that included a number to call to report mistreatment. Via the Daily Mail.
Denver Human Services spokesperson Jon Ewing said the city is working tirelessly to get the families inside the shelters rather than live on the privately owned property by railroad company Union Pacific for weeks.
He also said that the city is willing to work with the illegal immigrants toward finding a compromise such as allowing them to stay in a city shelter for up to seven days instead of the original three.
Denver has seen more than 40,000 illegal immigrants inhabit the city since last year, costing taxpayers over $68 million.
According to the mayor’s office, $35 million was spent between December 2023 and March alone.