Following complaints from the Democratic mayors of New York City and Chicago that the influx of migrants was overwhelming their cities, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) made an announcement on Sunday that his state will no longer send migrants to those cities.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Polis stated, “People escaping violence and injustice in quest of a better life for themselves and their families deserve our respect not political games.” Polis also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to help migrants get to their goal. “If they want to go somewhere else, we won’t detain them against their will.”
According to Polis’ office, he had “constructive” meetings with the mayors of New York City and Chicago, informing them that there would be no more chartered migrant buses leaving Denver for Chicago or New York after tomorrow.
The day before, Adams and Lightfoot wrote to Polis requesting that he stop busing migrants to their respective cities as they are “beyond capacity,” according to Politico. The mayors pleaded with Polis to cooperate with them in the united letter to try to find a solution.
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The letter states, “In the case of family reunification, let us work together to ensure that people are reconnected with their loved ones, however sending migrants to our cities is wrong and further victimizes these most vulnerable people. Our cities’ systems are over capacity, where they may struggle to find shelter and other services.
On Tuesday, Adams claimed that he was informed that Colorado intended to send more migrants to cities like New York, which he described as “simply unfair.”
Adams informed WABC that there was no more room at the inn.
The governor’s office said in a statement that the state would work with charitable organizations and the city of Denver to “continue to ensure this process is being performed in a humane way.”
“Colorado has been in the process of reducing back this transit,” the statement said. “Now that nationwide travel has returned to the status quo because the holidays and the impact of weather have normalized transportation paths.
Last month, the city of Denver declared a state of emergency due to the large number of migrants arriving there.
