Residents of a Colorado city have expressed outrage at the notion of becoming a sanctuary for migrants crossing the southern border. However, city officials have denied any such intention. Hundreds of residents in the city of Lakewood attended an emergency community meeting organized by the group Lakewood Concerned Citizens last Tuesday.
During the meeting, they voiced their grievances over city officials purportedly considering assisting Denver, a self-declared sanctuary city, by potentially accommodating migrants in their own community. According to FOX31 Denver, the number of attendees was so significant that some overflowed into the parking lot during the community meeting.
While Lakewood officials have not explicitly used the term “sanctuary,” resident Karen Morgan, who addressed the meeting, expressed concerns about the city’s use of terms such as “good neighbor, welcoming, inclusive, supporting, sheltering.”
She highlighted that “one definition of a sanctuary is the condition of being protected or comforted,” with “shelter” being a synonym.
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Fox News Digital contacted Lakewood City officials, including the City Public Information Office and the Community Resources office, for further information. However, they did not receive an immediate response.
According to FOX 31, the city has refuted rumors suggesting it might accommodate migrants. They explicitly stated, “Lakewood City Council is not considering designating Lakewood as a ‘sanctuary city.'”
“I would like to make it very clear that City Council has never, in my time sitting on council, has never had a conversation around becoming a sanctuary city,” Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom said.
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“I have met with my city manager, who was in the meeting, and there was not a request for Lakewood to house migrants at all,” Strom continued. “This has created a lot of frustration and anger in our community that is not necessary.
We are not making these big, sweeping changes. And these would be changes that we would bring to the public if that was something that we were going to do. But that’s not happening.”
“The only action City Council has taken during its January meetings has been to direct the city manager to meet with the City of Denver’s staff as quickly as possible to better understand the migrant crisis, its impacts, and the needs as well as possible options for Lakewood to work with Denver on this crisis in the spirit of ‘being a good neighbor,'” stated the city of Lakewood.
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“To keep residents as informed as possible, we want to address incorrect information that has appeared in opinion pieces in the news media and on social media regarding the City Council’s discussion about migrants arriving in Denver,” the city informed FOX31.
The city further clarified that the primary focus of its initial meeting with Denver officials on January 8th was to “address the humanitarian crisis through such avenues as mobilizing nonprofit organizations in Lakewood to support Denver’s needs.” They emphasized that this initiative is not an attempt to provide housing in Lakewood.
The city’s role in this scenario could involve providing access to information and resources or facilitating connections between needy individuals, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers in the community.
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