When you’re trying to deal with a migrant crisis, you need to get the funding for it somewhere. This Democrat city took $8 million from the police to put towards a $45 million relief fund to deal with the influx of new migrants. Let’s examine what this means for Denver, Colorado.
Funding Programs for Newcomers
Avoiding the word migrant, Mayor Mike Johnston stated that his administration was funding programs for newcomers to the tune of $45.9 million. This should avoid worst-case projections for the city.
Previous budget moves have seen the state spend over $44 million on newcomers, bringing the total spending on migrant management policies to almost $90 million.
Migrant Numbers Fluctuating
Denver’s migrant crisis saw the city pour up to $15 million into projects to ease the influx of newcomers to the city. In January, the city’s shelter numbers hit a ceiling of 5,000 people.
The recent numbers seem much more manageable, as last month, the shelters had dropped to around 1,000 people. However, Denver wants to get ahead of this problem.
A Sustainable Plan
Mayor Johnston noted that the city was finally getting to grips with the problem, dealing with the migrant crisis while limiting cuts to the city’s essential services.
The Mayor also noted that he wasn’t looking to lay off or furlough any employees to raise funding for this initiative, but the city would have to make cuts to fund this project.
Budget Cuts Across the Board
The cuts will severely hit Denver’s police department, as the mayor’s office estimates that as much as $8.4 million will come from these measures. Hiring for open positions will be frozen.
Only the Denver International Airport will be hiring new police officers and will pay for their recruitment costs. The Mayor’s office will also see a cut of around 10% – far more than the 2% hit the police force is taking.
Easing Newcomers Into the City
What will the funding go towards? According to the Mayor’s office, funding for this project will apply to around 1,000 people and will connect them with housing assistance programs.
The project will only run for six months, after which the migrant should be able to get a work permit and apply for asylum. Training assistance will also be available, connecting migrants with jobs.
Most Help For Migrants In the Country
The city claims that it has helped more than 40,000 migrants over the last 16 months. The cost of supporting these migrants was $68 million, showing why the mayor chose to develop his plan.
Over the last year, the amount of border encounters hit the highest point it ever had, and since those were only the crossings that were detected, far many more migrants may be in the country than expected.
No Hiring Freeze, Claims Spokesperson
One spokesperson for the mayor denied a hiring freeze would happen, citing that the department was expected to have 167 new recruits in 2024 to bolster the force.
They also outlined that the 1.9% police force cut was far less than the 2.5% expected from other public departments. The Fire Service funding was cut by less than 1% to fund the new programs.
Officers Will Remain On the Streets
The spokesperson also highlighted that the police force was a stakeholder in the discussions about what cuts should be made. The mayor intended to ensure that the police service wouldn’t be negatively affected.
As such, the spokesperson noted that officers will not be called to leave their beats or patrolmen’s hours cut. No officers will be taken off the streets because of budget cuts.
Not Defunding the Police
According to the spokesperson, it is disingenuous to highlight the budget cuts as defunding the police. While the police force will lose funding, it won’t be the only service affected.
Yet it’s an easy stretch to see liberal governments attempting to defund the police. Redirecting funds from the police serves two central political pillars of the modern Democrat party.
Migrant-Friendly Cities Struggle to Cope
Denver isn’t the only Blue city that’s seeing a lot of trouble dealing with its migrant influx. Many migrant-friendly cities have had to reroute funding from different areas to deal with newcomers.
Migrants cross vast stretches of land looking for a place where they can feel safe. However, Blue cities are bearing the brunt of this, as states like Florida and Texas are bussing their migrants to those cities.
Chicago and New York Also Having to Reroute Funds
Both Chicago and New York have had more migrants to deal with than usual, thanks to a lack of funding from the Biden administration to beef up the border patrol forces.
New York recently made significant cuts to its police force funding before reconsidering due to increased growth. Chicago’s budget has yet to be revised to account for the new migrants.
Migrant Debate Hits a Fever-Pitch
The Red States, in particular, have been causing trouble due to the number of migrants crossing the border. However, the Biden administration has shown itself very welcoming to immigrants from all over.
Immigrants come from several parts of the world, including Latin America and, most recently, the Chinese mainland.
The Political Game
Many border states have complained to the administration about a lack of funding for border control. Unfortunately, there is much more political meandering at play here.
The Biden Administration has been holding funding in reserve to encourage GOP senators to support its international policy. If GOP senators support funding for international allies in the conflict, the administration will release funding for the border.
Will This Affect Denver?
The cuts being made across the board mean that calling it a “defunding” of the police seems like a stretch. The Denver police force will lose some funding and might have a hiring freeze, but its police officers will remain out in force.
However, increasing funding to help migrants get a place to live and land a job is an important initiative. With a constant stream of outgoing migrants from shelters, there will be space to house more newcomers to the city as they arrive.
