Denver declares a state of emergency for the massive arrival of migrants "to avoid a local humanitarian crisis"

The authorities of Denver, the capital of Colorado, declared a state of emergency on Thursday due to the massive arrival of migrants in recent days, "a necessary step to avoid a local humanitarian crisis."

The mayor, Michael B. Hancock, pointed out that the flow of migrants is saturating municipal reception services to accommodate the hundreds of people seeking refuge in the city.

"Let me be frank: this influx of immigrants, the unforeseen nature of their arrival, and our current space and staffing challenges have put immense strain on the city's resources to the point where they are about to reach breaking point. right now," Hancock said during a press conference.

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Dec 15, 202201:57

"What I don't want to see is a local humanitarian crisis of homeless migrants on our hands due to lack of resources," he stressed.

The declaration allows local authorities, businesses and residents to apply for financial assistance from the federal and state governments to deal with this situation.

The city has spent more than $800,000 to respond to the arrival of migrants and welcome them, but estimates that this amount will increase significantly in the coming days.

Denver "is in a state of crisis right now, and cities across the country are being forced to deal with something we're not prepared for," he complained.

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Local authorities estimate that more than 900 immigrants have arrived in Denver in recent months, including 600 since December 2.

A total of 247 have arrived since Monday.

Border Pressure

The influx of migrants has accelerated in recent weeks.

On Sunday the 11th alone, more than a thousand people entered El Paso after group crossing the Rio Grande from the Mexican city of Juárez, in one of the most massive mass crossings recorded in recent Texas history.

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The caravan was made up mostly of citizens from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Peru and Ecuador.

The mass crossing came at a time when Border Patrol facilities and non-government shelters in El Paso have reached capacity, and as thousands of migrants remain stranded in Mexico hoping to enter the United States. 

In October alone, according to the most recent data, border agents logged 

 in that region.

And in 2022, the number of interceptions along the entire southern border set a record:

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The governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, has responded to the massive arrival of migrants by sending some 300 buses with asylum seekers on board to Democratic cities and states.

New York City declared a state of emergency in October after receiving more than 17,000 migrants from Texas.

Local and state authorities, as well as the Government of President Joe Biden, estimate that the end of the validity of Title 42, the measure implemented during the pandemic by former President Donald Trump to expel asylum seekers to Mexico alluding to health reasons, will cause a dramatic increase in migrant arrivals to the United States.

The program will end on December 21.