Monument, a town located 45 miles south of Denver in Colorado, has voted unanimously to reaffirm its status as a non-sanctuary city. The decision was made during a council meeting on Tuesday, with the town council voting 7-0 to confirm the new resolution.
The resolution was drafted partly in response to concerns about migrants arriving in nearby Colorado Springs, reflecting fears of a potential influx of migrants from Denver into the area.
Mayor Mitch LaKind, in an interview with Fox News, emphasized that the town’s objective is to communicate to Denver that Monument will not accommodate busloads of migrants.
He highlighted the disparity in budgetary resources between Monument and Denver, asserting that Monument cannot allocate taxpayer funds to support Denver’s decision to declare itself a sanctuary city.
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LaKind said that if migrants do appear in the town: ‘The town administration and police force will work with federal agencies to have them picked up and brought to wherever it is they would be held.
‘There is no room in Monument for them. I’d like to see the President announce that he is shutting the border. ‘I have not heard of anybody reaching out to the council that has been against our resolution.
If anything, it has been a fairly unanimous “let’s do this”.’ Denver serves as a destination for migrants who are often transported there after entering the US, taking advantage of lax southern border policies.
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In December, CBP migrant encounters surpassed 302,000, breaking previous records and highlighting the ongoing challenges at the southern border. The Denver Post reports that the city of Denver has extended the duration for families to stay in city shelters to 42 days, up from 37 days previously.
An online dashboard shows that on Wednesday of this week, 53 migrants arrived in the city, bringing the total number served by Denver to 38,726, with 2,714 currently in shelters. The majority of these migrants are Venezuelans escaping a humanitarian crisis, according to Denver city officials.
According to a report by The New York Times, the state capital has allocated more than $42 million to address the migrant issue. The outlet noted that if spending continues at the current rate of $3.5 million per week, the crisis could cost Denver $180 million in 2024.
In response to the financial strain, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced budget cuts earlier this month and cautioned that the situation could worsen in the future.
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Johnston announced cuts totaling $5 million from the parks and recreation as well as the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) budgets. Additionally, officials plan to withdraw $10 million from contingency funds and $15 million from maintenance projects.
While these actions are the initial measures, Johnston cautioned that they may not be the most challenging and suggested that further cuts could follow. He expressed hope for budget normalization by 2025 but acknowledged uncertainty, stating that “everything is on the table” for future decisions.
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