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As honeymoons go, the first eight months in office for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston were not exactly a walk on the beach.
The city has had to cope with the impacts of an estimated 40,000 migrants arriving in the past year, most of them cynically packed into buses and delivered with less attention than a truckload of Amazon packages — all courtesy of the taxpayers of Texas.
On a per capita basis that means, Denver has had to deal with more migrants than any other city in the U.S., according to the mayor.
And while surrounding communities including Aurora, Lakewood, Douglas County and Colorado Springs have slammed the doors on the faces of refugees and desperate migrants, Denver has rallied to address the humanitarian crisis in our midst.
Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, said our mayor “has done a great job” in the face of tremendous odds.
“It’s amazing to see real intentionality in making it so Denver continues to be a welcoming, inclusive place,” she said.
Johnston has worked effectively with non-governmental organizations and city agencies to develop the emergency response to provide housing, food and work-authorization programs, she said.
The migrants “have asked for nothing but the ability to work and support themselves,” the mayor said in an emotional news conference last month.
Still, it isn’t easy to ask citizens to accept reduced services even temporarily to provide for families who are dropped off here in the middle of winter with nothing.
It takes guts.
It also speaks volumes about the strength, resilience and compassion that is the culture of our city.
But Melaku said our humanitarian response — as impressive as it has been — is not enough. We have to get tough. We have to get angry.
With Congress.
After all, this is a made-in-Washington catastrophe, manufactured for maximum political manipulation, exploitation and divisiveness.
Melaku is adamant. “We can’t let the federal government off the hook,” she said.
Right now, there are 13 immigration measures languishing in Congress. They have not been brought to the floor for debate. No action has been taken.
A bipartisan bill was sabotaged at the last minute a few weeks ago out of pure Trumpian vindictiveness. It surely contributed to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s decision to resign from Senate leadership this year.
“Members of Congress are elected and paid by us to do their jobs,” Melaku said. “If we continue to mobilize this humanitarian response and we continue to let them off the hook, it’s a failure of our entire system of government.
“The American people and local government leaders need to pressure Congress to get to work,” she said.
It’s long overdue.
The last comprehensive immigration measure passed by Congress was in 1986. It was signed by Ronald Reagan. That’s 38 years of pathetic legislative impotence.
The stalemate is shameful.
And aside from the matter of simple human decency, pragmatic reasons abound for creating a functioning immigration system.
“The future of our workforce and our economic prosperity are rooted in our ability to welcome people,” Melaku said.
Worker shortages in Colorado and across the country are severe in health care, home care, the service industry, education and a range of other fields. A recent survey found a rate of two job openings for every unemployed worker in the state.
Meanwhile, birthrates are at historic lows and the population is aging.
Like the COVID pandemic, the immigration crisis has revealed structural weaknesses in our social fabric that affect not just new arrivals, but all of us, Melaku said.
She pointed to the severe shortage of affordable housing in Colorado, the lack of access to public services, barriers to education and job opportunities, and racial and ethnic discrimination.
“It’s not just about newcomers,” she said, “but have we truly come to recognize the dignity of Native Americans, Blacks, Asian and Pacific Islanders and the communities of color who are already here, the people who were born here?”
So many aspects of Denver’s response to the crisis have been impressive, heartwarming even. Mothers have organized clothing drives; people have provided meals; the mayor has invested considerable political capital into alleviating the suffering of dislocated families.
“There’s been a real generosity of spirit,” Melaku said.
At the same time, the immigration crisis remains severe and ripe for exploitation — especially in an election year.
“It’s a zero-sum game,” Melaku said.
One side is desperate for a solution. The other is hellbent on fanning the flames of the crisis, at least through Nov. 5.
And through it all, Denver and its determined new mayor are smack in the middle of the ugly mess, standing in line at the DMV, waiting and waiting for House Republicans to stop grandstanding and simply do their jobs.
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