With illegal entries into the United States at crisis levels, Democrat-led Colorado will join Republican states in busing migrants to New York and other Democrat-run cities.
The announcement by Colorado’s Democrat Governor Jared Polis makes Colorado the first Democrat-controlled state to implement the policy. National media and democrats have vociferously criticized Republican states like Texas, Arizona and Florida for the policy but with the Biden administration failing to stem the tidal wave of illegal entries, some Democrats are also now sounding the alarm.
In a statement announcing the move on Jan. 3, Polis’ office said Colorado had been “working tirelessly” to address the dramatic influx of immigrants, of which the state estimated roughly 70 percent intend to travel elsewhere.
The state-organized transportation, the news release noted, will be voluntary, as it also has been in Texas and Florida.
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The Democratic governor stated, “States and cities cannot continue to bear this burden alone and Congress needs to finally step up—we need an immediate route to work permits, and to finally enact better border security and immigration reform.”
The statement also noted that the state is working with the City of Denver and nonprofits to provide intake, processing, and transportation coordination with the help of the receiving communities.
In December, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock declared a state of emergency amid the surge of illegal immigrants entering the city, mainly traveling from the southern border town of El Paso, Texas.
“Let me be frank: This influx of migrants, the unanticipated nature of their arrival, and our current space and staffing challenges have put an immense strain on city resources to the level where they’re on the verge of reaching a breaking point at this time,” Hancock said at a Dec. 15 press conference.
“What I don’t want to see is a local humanitarian crisis of unsheltered migrants on our hands because of a lack of resources,” the Democrat added.
Additionally, despite his political affiliation, Hancock was not afraid to criticize President Biden’s handling of the crisis.
Numbers released by the Federal government reveal that one of every 100 people now living in the United States entered the country illegally since Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
“As a nation, we’re aware of the challenges in those [Central American] countries,” Hancock noted. “We’re aware [of] their desire to come to the United States, and with that awareness, our federal government and Congress have not acted appropriately to address it.”
According to Politico, Polis’ office confirmed Tuesday that Colorado began transporting immigrants to New York City and other destinations weeks ago, yet New York Mayor Eric Adams said in an interview Tuesday that he was only notified of those plans on Jan. 2.
Nonetheless, Adams seemed to share his fellow Democrat leaders’ frustration with the federal government’s failure to address the border crisis.
“This is just unfair for local governments to have to take on this national obligation,” Adams said.
Describing the situation as a national “embarrassment,” Adams contended that both the president and Congress have a responsibility to act.
“I think the president has an obligation to deal with the immediate concerns,” he said. “But when we talk about immigration, it is going to take a combination of the executive and the legislative body. We have to address this. … No city should have to make a decision if they’re going to provide for their citizens—particularly coming out of COVID—or if they’re going to deal with an onslaught of migrants and asylum seekers.”
–Wire services
