Phelen’s Focus: How to Solve the $2 Billion Crisis

THE $2 BILLION CRISIS 

Failed immigration policies and a refusal to secure our Nation’s South Border

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston informed City Council on January 9, 2024 infusion of migrants to their city will cost $180 million this year and is not sustainable.

• In December, the City resported the arrival of 150 buses transporting migrant, organized and paid for by other U.S. States.
• The buses delivered 250 new migrants to Denver each day.
• The Metro Area has 4,500 “newcomer migrants” in shelters as of January 2024, and there were 400 migrants in city shelters 100 days ago.

Johnston said that Denver had more migrants than the city of Chicago and had 2.5 times more migrants per capita than any other U.S. city.

An unprecedented 37,074 immigrants from South and Central America — particularly Venezuela — have traveled to Denver since the U.S. began seeing a surge at the border with Mexico a year ago.

SOLUTIONS

• “Remain in Mexico” – Re-establish the “Remain in Mexico” agreement with Mexico stipulating that some asylum seekers remain in Mexico while their claims are processed.
• Safe Third Country Agreements – Revive “safe third country” agreements with several nations in Central America, and try to expand to additional countries in South America. Thus, these countries would agree to take would-be asylum seekers from specific other nations and let them apply for asylum there instead.
• Invoke Title 42 – Invoke the public health emergency powers law known as Title 42 to again refuse to hear any asylum claims by people arriving at the southern border. Title 42 could be invoked by citing
  • 1) “severe strains of the flu, tuberculosis, scabies, other respiratory illnesses like R.S.V.”
  • 2) “mass migration being a public health threat and conveying a variety of communicable diseases.
• Change qualifications for automatic Asylum – for those applying as “Asylum Seekers” remove automatic entry and blanket protections for all migrants fleeing from certain Countries.