Migrants in Denver on Monday submitted a list of 13 demands that they say the city must meet before they leave their packed encampment and head into shelters.
The group refused to budge until their extensive list, which includes access to a free immigration lawyer and fresh cooking ingredients, is met as they battle with Denver Human Services, according to Fox 31.
The migrants, consisting of families living under a bridge and near train tracks, issued their demands after Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston petitioned to have the group moved.
The group’s top demand was that they “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 & eating outside food,” messages shared with the outlet said.
“There have been so many complaints about the food being spoiled or not being enough and malnutrition amongst children,” said V. Reeves, spokesperson for Housekeys Action Network Denver.
The group also insisted on unlimited shower access without time limits, claiming, “We are not in the military, we’re civilians.”
- 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 & eating outside food.
- Shower access will be available without time limits & can be accessed whenever — we are not in the military, we’re civilians.
- Medical professional visits will happen regularly & referrals/connections for specialty care will be made as needed.
- All will receive the 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 & 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, & then the City will provide on-going legal support in the form of immigration document clinics & 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 & won’t be treated as such.
- Transportation for all children to & 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 includes a number to call to report mistreatment.
The migrants had stayed at an encampment under busy Central Park Boulevard in northeast Denver before they relocated under a bridge near Denver International Airport, Fox 31 reported.
“We’ve been offering time and shelter, basically just trying to get families to leave that camp and come inside,” Denver Human Services spokesperson Jon Ewing told the outlet.
The mayor’s office also offered the migrants — who have stayed on the private property owned by railroad company Union Pacific for several weeks — the ability to stay in a city shelter for seven days instead of the initial three, according to 9News.
The outlet reported that roughly 100 people accepted Denver’s offer Wednesday as the camp was swept from the property.
Last month, Johnston launched the controversial Asylum Seekers Program, which accommodates new migrants staying at city-funded shelters in Denver.
Migrants receive rental and food assistance for six months, and free legal services for their asylum applications while they wait to be approved for their work permits under the program.
They had been permitted to stay in shelters for between 14 and 42 days before Johnston drastically reduced the time to only 24 to 72 hours.
“Every new migrant that comes is going to be left to fend for themselves after 24 to 72 hours,” Reeves said in April. “It’s a slap in the face and an offensive period of time.”
The Mile High City has been overwhelmed by more than 40,000 migrants since last year — the most per capita of any municipality in the country — at a cost of over $68 million.
Approximately $35 million was spent between December 2023 and March alone, according to Johnston’s office.
In March, Denver property owners were asked to open their homes to migrant families amid the closure of four shelters due to budget costs.
US Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) slammed the “asinine” migrant initiative.
“Denver has now opened a hotline for residents to call and offer up their own homes to illegals,” Boebert said on X. “If you have extra space, you’re encouraged to host a ‘migrant’ for some time. This is the most asinine and ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Denver city worker Andres Carrera told a group of migrants staying in a shelter that the state’s capital didn’t have enough resources to support them.
“We are not going to block you if you want to stay here … I am here to tell you, know your path is not over,” Carrera reportedly said in Spanish, according to footage obtained by 9 News. “If you stay here, you are going to suffer even more and I don’t want to see this.”
