Blue City of Denver Has 'Great' Idea for How to Pay for Illegal Immigrants - Just Defund the Police

AP Photo/Thomas Peipert

America's sanctuary cities are doing their best to take in as many of Joe Biden's illegal immigrants as they can so they won't have to admit that actually being a sanctuary city doesn't work, all the while angering residents who are already there over trash, immigrants living on the streets, and crime. But just when you thought that the "defund the police" fad had faded away for the left, think again. The city of Denver, Colorado thinks they may have a plan to pay for all of those new residents to their city: They will just defund the police. Wait...what?

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On Wednesday, the city announced that it plans to spend $89.9 million on services designed to help illegal immigrants. Some $45 million will be pulled from already existing public programs and services. But the brave men and women of the Denver Police Department will be hit hard, with the city yanking around $8.4 million out of its annual budget, roughly 1.9 percent of its total operating budget. Even the Fire Department is not immune to the needs of illegal immigrants in a sanctuary city. The Denver FD will see a reduction of about $2.5 million, about 0.8 percent of its budget, although some of that will come from vacant positions. 

Other agencies are also taking a hit, all in the name of remaining a sanctuary city. Some of those include the Sheriff's Department, which will see a 2.2 percent cut, 1.9 percent from the Department of Public Health and Environment, 2.4 percent to the Executive Director of Safety, and 3.8 percent from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. 9-1-1 operators will also be paid differently to save the city money. As is appropriate for this insanity, the Mayor's Office is taking the biggest hit, slashing $335,155 from its operating budget, about 9.6 percent of its budget.

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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was all smiles about the new plan. He stated,

“After more than a year of facing this crisis together, Denver finally has a sustainable plan for treating our newcomers with dignity while avoiding the worst cuts to city services. So many times we were told that we couldn’t be compassionate while still being fiscally responsible. Today is proof that our hardest challenges are still solvable, and that together we are the ones who will solve them.”

But business owners along one of Denver's major business corridors say the problems of crime, homelessness, and drugs are at a point where they are looking into formulating a business improvement district, which would allow them to hire private security, which would make up for a lack of police presence. It wouldn't seem that creating a magnet for illegal immigrants would solve that problem.

Business owners, however, may be outnumbered in their sentiments. The residents of Denver could be on board with all the funds in the city budget changing hands. Denver has been a go-to spot for illegal immigrants. Since January of 2023, roughly 40,000 illegal immigrants have traveled to Denver, a city that only had a population of 710,000 to begin with. While other sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago have seen protests and rowdy City Council meetings regarding immigrants landing in their cities, citizens of Denver have donated food and clothing to immigrants and have also organized carpools to get immigrant children to area schools. In 2023, Denver spent $42 million for services for illegal immigrants and plans on spending another $100 million in 2024. Because who needs all those police and firefighters? 

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Joe Biden's never-ending stream of illegal immigrants pouring into the country shows no sign of a let-up. In the first five months of fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol has encountered roughly 1.2 million illegal immigrants on the southern border. With numbers like that, it makes you wonder what service Mayor Johnston will put on the chopping block next.   


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