DENVER — While the city of Denver isn't aware of any plans to send migrants to Colorado, officials are preparing for that possibility.
This week, the Mayor of New York City declared a state of emergency over issues providing housing for thousands of migrants sent from the southern border since the spring.
Last month, Chicago officials asked the public for volunteers and donations to help immigrants bused from Texas.
A similar occurrence happened in Florida, when Republican Governor Ron DeSantis flew 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard.
The growing list of occurrences of migrants being sent to other cities has prompted municipalities in Colorado to discuss preparations in the event in happens here.
That includes several counties in the mountains, and now the City and County of Denver.
A statement from a spokesperson for the city's Office of Emergency Management says Denver is "...working closely with partner city agencies, along with the state and the non-profit sector in preparation for any potential influx of migrants coming to Denver seeking asylum."
They add that at this time, they are not aware of any large-scale coordinated efforts making their way to the city.
"...however, our proactive coordination is on-going should the need arise," the statement reads in part. "As the coordination is evolving in nature, we are unable to provide a finite explanation of services asylum seekers would qualify for as these are still being determined."
The spokesperson also noted that direct services and support for migrants is being provided by immigration non-profit groups.
The state is no stranger to launching operations to help migrants and refugees. The state has a Colorado Refugee Services Program, which lists several established resettlement agencies, among other resources.
In the case of the International Rescue Committee's Denver branch, their executive director Jennifer Wilson explained that they currently serve a caseload of about 2,500 people. Of those, 800 people recently resettled from Afghanistan and around 50 people are from Ukraine.
"And we work to ensure that people who are impacted by a conflict and disaster find safety and are able to rebuild their lives," Wilson said.
She added that the organization is aware that preparations are occurring from the city and county, and said that if a response was needed from them, they would likely provide what's called "wrap-around" services. This includes case management and other social services.
"And so we are really looking to ensure that however we respond, we are building on the strengths and bringing something that can add value to that picture because coordination is really the most critical thing that we can do to ensure that the community that's here, our community members who maybe have lived here longer or have been here their entire lives, are as prepared as the people who are coming in," Wilson explained.
She also said that they are seeing a much higher demand recently compared to years past, and have been working to build back their capacity.
"That experience of people bridging across cultures, across languages is incredibly impactful," she said.
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