The State of Colorado, in partnership with the City of Denver and local nonprofits, has announced that it is actively working to address the influx of migrants traveling from the southern border of the United States into the state. The majority of migrants have a final destination other than the state of Colorado.
The state has confirmed that about 70 percent of the migrants arriving in Denver don’t have Colorado as a final destination. Most are meeting family or friends in other places around the U.S. Due to weather and workforce shortages, they have been experiencing transportation cancellations, need support, and had nowhere to go as temporary havens.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis enters the House of Representatives chamber to make his first State of the State address to a joint session of the Colorado Legislature Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
“No one should play politics with the lives of migrants who came here to escape oppression, and in Colorado, we are honoring our values of treating people with dignity and respect,” said Governor Jared Polis. “Coloradans would expect nothing less from us to uphold our shared values to assist people fleeing oppression.”
In order to facilitate the safe and voluntary transit of people to their desired destination, the state is working with culturally competent navigators to ensure that each individual is voluntarily making their own travel decision. The state of Colorado, in partnership with the City and County of Denver, has begun taking steps to help with the navigation process.
“The stories I’ve heard firsthand from migrants are heartbreaking and we are helping these individuals complete their long and arduous journey,” Polis added. “States and cities cannot continue to bear this burden alone and Congress needs to finally step up – we need an immediate route to work permits, and to finally enact better border security and immigration.”
To help solve this challenge, the state is partnering with Denver and nonprofits to provide intake, processing, and transportation coordination to help migrants safely reach their desired final destination. According to the governor’s office, the priority is ensuring that this is done in a culturally competent manner, in the most humane possible way, and in coordination with the receiving community.
In order to facilitate the safe and voluntary transit of people, the state of Colorado is working with culturally competent navigators to ensure that each individual is voluntarily making their decision. In particular, it is partnering with two nonprofits that have experience working with immigrant populations — specifically the Venezuelan community.
As covered by the governor in his announcement, the state-sponsored navigators’ goal is to ensure people are selecting their preferred locations, and once there, can seamlessly connect to family members, friends, and services when they reach their destination.
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