(The Center Square) – Two city of Denver council members are addressing the connection between the migrant crisis and the rise in crime in certain districts across Denver.
This information was shared during a July 10 Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee meeting, where Sarah Plastino, the director of the newcomer program for the city and county of Denver, presented about three migrant-related contracts totaling around $17 million from the city’s allocated $90 million 2024 budget for migrant-related issues.
Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer of District 5 highlighted a hotspot in her district related to residents housed in an apartment complex during the migrant crisis, acknowledging that while most individuals in the programs are seeking a better life, not all of them are without issues.
Councilwoman Sawyer emphasized the lack of a mechanism in place to identify and address the problem apart from involving the police.
Plastino mentioned that individuals entering these programs sign a code of conduct agreeing not to engage in criminal activities, with a process in place to remove those who violate the agreement if necessary.
The council members did not disclose specific crime hotspots in their districts, but Council member Stacie Gilmore of District 11 referenced a robbery occurring in broad daylight.
The Denver Police Department highlighted their efforts to track and reduce crime through various methods, emphasizing that citizenship status is not collected or tracked in crime data to encourage reporting and participation in the justice system.
Denver has welcomed over 42,000 migrants, as per the city’s website, costing taxpayers more than $72 million.
Maureen O’Toole, a media spokeswoman for Congressional Leadership Fund, criticized Democratic Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, linking the migrant crisis cost to a reduction in public safety funding and an increase in crime.
Caraveo did not provide a response to the criticism.
