Members of the Denver City Council peppered Mayor Mike Johnston with questions Tuesday during the mayor-council meeting regarding the city’s migrant response.
Johnston said more migrants arrived Sunday than were discharged from shelter Monday. Denver hopes to eventually reduce the number of people being sheltered, according to Johnston. The mayor said that to keep sheltering migrants at the rate the city is going, it would cost $180 million next year, and city departments would have to slash their budgets by as much as 15%.
Johnston said the city has put on legal clinics for 400 migrants. About 800 newcomers in shelter with Customs and Border Patrol paperwork are eligible for work permits. Others could file for asylum, Johnston said. He said the city will continue to stand up the legal clinics.
Johnson said case workers have been meeting with migrants about three weeks before their shelter discharge dates to plan next steps. He admitted some people have been discharged without a plan.