COLORADO, USA — A last-ditch effort for Denver to help migrants might be hiring them to work for the city – as the Biden administration has warned state governments against hiring people without federal work permits.
On Wednesday, Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper told 9NEWS that with Congress's unwillingness to help, it could be the only option.
"I think at a certain point, if the federal government doesn’t act, local communities are going to have to. They’re going to have to figure out some way to say, you can work," Hickenlooper said. "You’re going to have a six-month working permit and if the federal government wants to come down and throw the book at us, we’ll deal with the legal costs. Because people aren’t being left with any other choices."
It’s not even certain that cities like Denver could legally hire migrants to work for the government. In fact, Sen. Hickenlooper told me today it might lead the federal government to come in and take legal action against the city. Still, he said we’re at a point where there may not be any other options.
"The cities and the counties are faced with a solution that they don’t have any options," said Hickenlooper. "I’m not telling them that’s what they should do, I’m telling the federal government they should get off the stick and make sure that there are ways people can work or provide the resources to communities like Denver or Aurora where they can actually deal with the problem."
The City of Denver considers this a very high-risk option. The University of California was considering a similar option to hire undocumented students but stopped when the Biden administration signaled that they'd sue them if they did. That's under a democratic president. If Trump wins in November the risk increases even more.
Hickenlooper was in Denver Wednesday meeting with the mayor and non-profits about the migrant crisis and speaking with migrants who’ve made it to Colorado. He said there’s still hope for some sort of federal action to allow migrants to work for maybe a couple of months. About a minute later though he admitted there is no actual plan or bill on the table that could pass in Congress.
"What’s going to happen now is that citizens in metro Denver are going to see their budgets cut," said Hickenlooper. "Maybe their rec centers close an hour early. That’s unacceptable. The federal government cannot expect that this is largely a federal problem, and expect the local communities to bear the full brunt. The federal government has to step up and help. There’s no question."
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said that Denver is short $180 million this year in its efforts to pay for the migrant crisis. The city has already started implementing a series of budget cuts that could hit every single department in Denver.
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