Costs for Assisting Denver’s Overwhelming Indigent Migrants Could Reach $500 per Household, Report Reveals

The financial burden to house, feed, and care for the thousands of indigent migrants arriving in Denver could amount to $500 per Denver household, according to a report from the Common Sense Institute.

The report from the think tank highlights the growing apprehension regarding the city's ability to provide essential services for the influx of migrants. "If the Denver mayor's recent spending projections of $180 million hold true, the city will have exhausted a significant amount of its general funding by the end of 2024," the report states.

"To date, spending has been covered by a combination of federal, state, and city funds, but it remains unclear how the projected 2024 amount will be financed." Furthermore, Denver's expenditures fail to fully account for the money and resources required to serve the migrant population in Colorado.

Services provided by nonprofit organizations, hospitals, and first responders are not included in Denver's spending. However, the city is collaborating with local nonprofits to provide shelter, food, and other services.

To put the migration situation into perspective, the report reveals that the total number of children born in the U.S. in 2022 was 3.6 million, whereas there were 3.2 million migrant encounters at U.S. borders in fiscal year 2023.

Astonishingly, more than 35,400 migrants have arrived in Denver since January, making it the state with the highest number of arrivals relative to its population, excluding states on the southern border.

"The cost continues to escalate as new shelters open and the city assumes responsibility for some migrants' rent, offering one month of rent for migrants with jobs and three months for those without," the report explains. "While the city is opening a new congregate shelter, the ultimate goal is to transition migrants to permanent housing."

Denver is currently providing shelter, food, and other services through local nonprofits.

By the end of October 2023, the Common Sense Institute projects that Denver will have spent between $36.3 million and $39.1 million, representing an increase of 30% to 40%, or between $8.3 million and $11.1 million.

READ MORE:

• DENVER’S MAYOR WON’T CUT SALARIES OR RAISES BUT WILL CUT CITY SERVICES TO FUND DENVER’S MIGRANT RESPONSE

• DENVER'S LEADERS REALIZE THE CITY CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO ACCEPT INDIGENT MIGRANTS FROM THE SOUTHERN BORDER

• UNVACCINATED MIGRANTS AND THE ALARMING SURGE OF CHICKENPOX: A CONCERN FOR SANCTUARY CITIES

• RECORD-BREAKING SURGE OF MIGRANTS FLOODS THE SOUTHERN BORDER, DENVER BRACES FOR INFLUX

"According to the CSI model, which accurately predicted the city's total migrant spending through last December, additional spending through 2024 could reach $55.5 million if the current rate of daily arrivals continues," the report warns. "Budgets reflect policy choices. Policy makers and the public should carefully consider the trade-offs before turning projections into budgetary commitments."

The report from the Common Sense Institute highlights the urgent need for Denver's progressive Democrat leaders to reevaluate their policies and consider the financial burden they are placing on the city's residents.