Colorado Democrat governor signs two bills supporting migrants

Democrat Governor Jared Polis signed two bills to help migrants residing in Colorado, making it easier for them to get a driver's license or identification card, and providing funding for settlement programs.

These bills come following Biden's executive order launched on Tuesday to temporarily shut down asylum requests at the southern U.S. border when the number of daily claimants rose above 2,500.

Colorado has experienced a considerable increase of immigrants in the past years. Bloomberg reported that from 2021 to 2023 the state has seen a 665% rise in the number of new immigration court cases.

Latinos make up about 22.5% of Colorado's total population of 5,877,610 people, the 21st largest of the 50 states, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates through July 2023. The demographic represents about 15% of the state's voters at the moment.

According to a report by Axios, Hispanics are poised to play a decisive role at the time of electing national representatives this year, both in suburban Denver and likely on the Western Slope.

The "Immigrant Identification Document Issuance" bill eliminates many of the barriers that migrants have had to overcome to get a driver's license or identification card, including the two-year residency requirement before applying.

"On the North and West side of Denver, we have the largest influx of migrants from Venezuela and newcomers to the country," state Rep. Tim Hernández, one of the prime sponsors of this bill, said according to the Colorado Times Reporter.

"There are folks on 38th and Federal who are scrubbing windows and who I know would much prefer to be able to get a driver's license so that they can get a job, so that they can get a car, and be able to safely provide their families' wages."

The second bill, titled "Welcome, Reception, & Integration Grant Program," sets up a program to offer grants to community organizations that help immigrants settle in Colorado.

State Rep. Lorenza Garcia said she has great optimism for the nonprofits that will benefit from this piece of legislation. "Our nonprofits are forced to fill the gap that our government agencies can not do, and these organizations are really good at what they do. They know this community, they talk to this community, they know the struggles."

"This bill will ensure that there are resources given to organizations who know how to do this work," she added.

State Sen. Lisa Cutter, one of the bill's sponsors, said such legislation - welcoming immigrants - was what Colorado should be. "This is the epitome of who we should be. We should be a welcoming community."