Why are so many immigrants coming to Denver? Town hall seeks answers

All over the United States, immigrants are pouring in from countries in Central and South America, many fleeing a failing state in Venezuela. A breakdown in U.S. immigration planning and policy over the past decade has increased the number of immigrants coming into the country in recent months, and sped up the pace of their arrival.

Denver has seen an outsize share of these recent immigrants, more than 4,300 since late December.

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And now Denver may be at a breaking point. Mayor Michael Hancock has said the crisis is putting a financial strain on the city, which has already spent north of $3 million taking care of arriving immigrants in just a few weeks.

The crisis has also strained relations with the mayors of New York City and Chicago, who have complained publicly about the transfer of immigrants from Denver to their cities. The city of Denver has bought 1,900 Greyhound bus tickets to send immigrants to 35 other states and Washington, D.C., since the crisis began in December. The majority of immigrants were bused to Illinois and New York.

Why are so many immigrants coming to Denver now? Should Colorado keep its door open to immigrants, or continue to shuttle them on to other cities? More broadly, what steps must be taken to fix the current immigrant crisis? Do border policies need to change?

The Gazette and Colorado Politics are hosting a virtual town hall on Jan. 31 so that immigration experts can answer your questions on the crisis and what Colorado's options are.

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The town hall, part of our ongoing Colorado Conversations series, will take place via Zoom from 8 to 9 a.m., and you can register at bit.ly/3QX6r60.

Our panelists will include:

Atim Otii, representing the city of Denver and the Denver Office of Emergency Management. Otii is the director of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Office for Human Rights & Community Partnerships (HRCP).

Hans Meyer, founder of the Meyer Law Office. His practice specializes in immigration law, the immigration consequences of crimes and the civil rights of immigrants. Meyer also served as the former director of public policy for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, where he focused on local, state and national immigration policy.

Violeta Chapin, a CU law professor who writes and teaches at the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Born in and having lived in Central America, Professor Chapin has previously worked with indigent populations in rural El Salvador.

Nico Brambila, a health and education reporter specializing in investigations for The Gazette who has written extensively on immigrants and immigration issues in Colorado, Texas and California.

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Colorado has a long history of welcoming immigrants. As of 2021, immigrants from other countries accounted for 10% of Colorado’s population, and the state had passed a series of laws aimed at supporting and protecting undocumented immigrants. But financial strains from accommodating the recent immigrants and new realities concerning the flow of fentanyl and methamphetamine into Colorado from the southern U.S. border are raising questions about those earlier policies.

Are we still committed to a mentality of welcoming the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” in this state, or should our borders be tightened dramatically to stop the current flood of illegal immigration and the flow of deadly drugs to our state?

Join us Jan. 31 for this important conversation.