(USNewsMag.com) – Colorado’s third-largest city has voted on a resolution that says it will not provide services for any migrants sent to the town from Denver and reaffirms the city’s “non-sanctuary” status.
The Aurora City Council passed the resolution, which also calls on the federal government to secure the border, in a 7-3 vote on February 26th. The vote on the resolution by the Aurora City Council has no enforcement measures and is mainly symbolic.
The vote in Aurora, which is part of the Denver metroplex, comes as Denver continues to see problems arising from the number of illegal migrants that have been bussed to the city from the border. Since December 2022, Denver has seen an influx of around 39,000 migrants, which has started to spill over into neighboring communities. With no help from the federal government to provide resources to the migrants, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has announced there will be cuts to the city’s budget to offset spending.
One of the sponsors of the Aurora resolution, Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky, called it “inhumane” to bus the migrants to Aurora from other cities. She added that the city does not have the funding to support an influx of migrants and that Aurora would not be shutting down services to its residents as Denver is doing.
Councilwoman Crystal Murillo, who opposed the resolution, said the resolution sends a signal of “fear and doubt” about the migrants and the people and organizations helping them. While Council member Alison Coombs said the resolution was “political posturing” that used “anti-immigrant rhetoric.”
However, Councilwoman Stephanie Hancock said the resolution means the council is ensuring Aurora’s resources are used to serve the community in the best way. Councilwoman Francoise Bergan added that the resolution was not about the city being unwelcoming or “not supporting our immigrant community” but rather a “crisis” affecting all cities.
Aurora is not the only Colorado town to pass such a resolution. Monument, located 40 miles from Denver, and Mesa County passed similar resolutions to maintain the status of not being a sanctuary city.
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