Migrant advocates fear some are being misled by Denver
DENVER (KDVR) — The city of Denver reports it has served more than 41,000 migrants since they started arriving in late 2022, but in the last two weeks, efforts have pivoted to relocating them with offers of free trips to other cities.
Signs posted in Spanish at Denver Human Services tell them other cities may have resources to help them.
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The city says of 350 new arrivals, 315 people have taken the option of a free trip elsewhere around the country, either to reunite with relatives or friends somewhere else or to settle anywhere but Denver.
Some migrant advocates said the city is purposely not telling newly arrived migrants they can choose to stay and be given shelter as an option.
Juan and Ediza arrived in Denver on Wednesday night after traveling from Venezuela since early December.
“A friend we knew from the jungle came here,” Juan said. “He got here first and got an appointment quickly to get settled.”
Denver is their first choice, so they went to the Denver Human Services offices for help.
“We knocked on the door, and they came out and said they could not help us, that all they could give us was a trip to another city,” Juan said.
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Other migrants gave Juan and Ediza contact information for V Reeves, a known advocate for migrants settling in the city.
“Give V a call,” Juan said he was told. “At the very least, they can help you with something, and V has helped and we are very grateful.”
Reeves intervened in the couple’s efforts to get help from the city.
“If I hadn’t had certain connections and been able to call and follow up and cause a fuss, they would have been turned away and they would have been left back out on the streets with this child of just under 2 years old,” Reeves said.
‘This is the first time we’ve been separated in five months’
Juan and Ediza traveled across the continent with Juan’s cousin, his wife and their toddler. The families were separated when the city eventually sheltered them.
The couple was sent to a hotel, and Juan’s cousin’s family was sent to a city facility.
“This is the first time we’ve been separated in five months that we’ve been traveling, and I feel terrible,” Juan said.
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The city said it offers trips as an option for new migrants arriving in town. Signage at Denver Human Services tells migrants other cities might have more resources for them and Denver will pay their way.
The city’s migrant dashboard reports 683 migrants staying in hotels and 26 staying in short-term shelters, and 48 migrants reportedly arrived in town on Thursday.
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