Illegal Immigrants in Denver Refuse to Evacuate Encampment, Instead Send Mayor List of Demands

Instead of evacuating a tent encampment as ordered, illegal immigrants in Denver have sent a list of demands to the Denver Mayor’s desk. In the letter, the illegal immigrants said that they and their young children will remain in the camp instead of voluntarily moving to city-funded shelters unless the city meets their list of demands.

According to the New York Post, which reported on the list of demands the illegal immigrants sent Mayor Mike Johnson of Denver, a Democrat, the group of illegal immigrants lives in an encampment “under a bridge and near train tracks” in the city. Their list of demands was sent after Mayor Johnston petitioned to have the group moved.

Fox 31, reporting on the situation, obtained the list of demands, many of which have to do with the state of the shelter to which the migrants will be sent, including what services and amenities will be provided, and under what circumstances order can be enforced in the housing, that the migrants sent to the mayor. Those demands, thirteen in total, are, Fox 31 reports:

1. 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.
2. Shower access will be available without time limits & can be accessed whenever – we are not in the military, we’re civilians.
3. Medical professional visits will happen regularly & referrals/connections for specialty care will be made as needed.
4. 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.
5. There needs to be a clear, just process before exiting someone for any reason – including verbal, written & final warnings.
6. All shelter residents will receive connection to employment support, including work permit applications for those who qualify.
7. 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.
8. The City will provide privacy for families/individuals within the shelter.
9. 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.
10. Transportation for all children to & from their schools will be provided until they finish in 3 weeks.
11. No separating families, regardless of if family members have children or not. The camp will stay together.
12. 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.
13. 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.

Commenting on the list of demands, a Denver Human Services employee, Jon Ewing, told Fox 31, “We’ve been offering time and shelter, basically just trying to get families to leave that camp and come inside.” Continuing, Ewing noted that food will be provided, saying, “Which comes with three square meals a day,. You can cook your own if you like to.”

On the other side of things, a migrant advocate, V. Reeves, told Fox 31 that the illegal immigrants complain that the food the city is freely giving them isn’t good enough. In his words, “There have been so many complaints about the food being spoiled or not being enough and malnutrition amongst children.” Seemingly lacking was any sense of  gratitude for the free food or sense of shame about complaining about a gift.

The complaining didn’t end there. Continuing, Reeves added that the migrants say they are not receiving enough free bureaucratic assistance from the city. He said, “They’re not receiving any kind of official housing or immigration document support, which is incredibly necessary for them to be able to navigate the bureaucracy around these systems.”

Ewing, for his part, said that complaint is also untrue, and that assistance is provided to help the illegal immigrants determining, “What do you qualify for? What do you not qualify for? What might be something that is a feasible path for you to success that is not staying on the streets of Denver?” He added, “We try to compromise. We try to figure something out. You know, at the end of the day, what we do not want is families on the streets of Denver.”

As Denver struggles under the weight of its migrant problem, one exacerbated by its status as a so-called “sanctuary city,” residents of nearby communities are doing their best to keep the city from bussing illegal immigrants to them. Among those was a town called Aurora, which is near Denver and has no interest in becoming part of the sanctuary city problem. Watch an Aurora resident speak about the matter here: