Every person is deserving of care, respect, and fair treatment. Migrants are coming to America for work opportunities and for a better life. For those that choose to stay in Denver, we must find them employment opportunities and safe places for them and their families to stay.
Leslie is proud of Denver for stepping up to care for people that have often just been through extreme ordeals. Denverites have long had a spirit that means giving a hand to those in need in times of crisis. We have the grit and determination to do what is right, even when the going gets tough.
We must recognize the value and humanity of people arriving in Denver from other countries. We cannot bus them off to other places. Denver is made better by migrants, and we should welcome migrants into our neighborhoods. In order to do this, though, we need to tackle our housing crisis and underemployment.
Denver must increase its city services and social safety nets to help deal with a number of challenges the city faces today. As Mayor, Leslie will ensure that our migrant communities are aware of the resources available to them by ensuring we have community partners that speak the same language and can get the message out. We are at our strongest when we work together.
To specifically help Denver’s migrant community, we need to have community outreach to ensure that people are getting communications about housing opportunities, and it is incumbent upon the City of Denver to ensure that those communications are coming from local leaders and in the language of the relevant community.
Immigrants are part of the fabric of Denver and must be treated as a crucial piece of what makes our city so special. The DILSF should be incorporated into city services and funded just like any other service the city provides. In the short term, we will work with existing organizations and community leaders to both highlight the need for these services and help direct funding to them. While that is happening, Leslie’s administration will begin conversations about the best way to further enshrine these protections and services into law and ensure there is enough funding for people that need it.
Denver has made strides in limiting law enforcement cooperation with ICE and federal immigration officials, but there is more work to be done. Leslie will fight to ensure that undocumented Denverites are not unjustly incarcerated or deported. The City can influence all aspects of governance through our hiring practices. As Mayor, Leslie will ensure that the people in charge of the sheriff’s department have values that align with Denverites at large. Denver Police and Sheriffs serve the people of Denver first, not the federal government. Leslie’s administration will instruct both Police and Sheriffs to not proactively communicate with ICE and we will review compliance. If necessary, we will look into cracking down on anyone violating these instructions.
While legal protections are of great importance to people facing hostility from ICE and other organizations, Denver can do better across the board by creating a welcoming environment for migrants.
Migrants should be able to come here and are valuable members of our community. In my administration, we will work to ensure that migrants can report wage theft without fear of reprisal. In addition, migrants should be able to get licences to own and operate small businesses, helping integrate them into our community.
Denver has the power to stand up to the federal government, and as mayor, I will ensure we use every resource at our disposal to protect people in our community.
