Denver to tap extra funds as immigrants are facing mass evictions in the city

Few non-border cities have received more migrants than Denver over the past two years. Since December 2022, 42,000 migrants have migrated to the Colorado capital, with the city doling out hundreds of millions to shelter migrants since.

The city has spent close to $74 million in housing and support services alone, according to a new report by The Denver Gazette, which also detailed the newest pain point of this ongoing issue: evictions.

Denver officials have identified 15 apartment complexes with a high concentration of immigrant tenants facing eviction. The city's Human Rights and Community Partnerships executive director, Perla Gheiler, announced plans to work with landlords to connect at-risk residents with resources to prevent evictions.

As of mid-July, 58 households, likely recent immigrant arrivals, have already received nearly $500,000 in rental and utility assistance, with approximately 4% of those receiving aid from Denver Human Services, which oversees the city's Newcomer Program for managing the influx of immigrants.

Recently, over 50 families were evicted from an apartment complex in Aurora, where the landlord cited safety concerns linked to alleged gang activity, specifically to the notorious Venezuelan organization "Tren de Aragua", a gang which already prompted Colorado officials to create a special task force in lieu of its increased activity in the area.

The broader context, however, includes a significant increase in immigrant arrivals to Denver, particularly from ongoing economic and political instability in Venezuela.

Besides the aforementioned $74 million allocated to housing immigrants, the city has also facilitated transportation for immigrants to other locations, purchasing nearly 6,000 bus, plane, and train tickets this year at a cost of $1.7 million.

Besides housing, other measures are being put into place to cater to other aspects of immigrant life in case of another influx. For example, a new state law went into effect earlier this month, opening the possibility for funding to community-based organizations that support new immigrants. These organizations are meant to "provide culturally and linguistically appropriate navigation of services and programs to migrants who are within one year of arrival in the United States."

As Denver continues to manage the challenges associated with the migrant influx, officials are monitoring potential future spikes in arrivals, though recent changes in federal asylum policies have been significantly reducing the number of new migrants entering the city.