DENVER — The president of Denver's City Council said she does not currently support the city's plan to outsource its migrant response to security company GardaWorld, citing concerns with the outside vendor's approach and with the upcoming transition of power in City Hall.
Jamie Torres said she has not ruled out voting in favor of the up-to $40 million contract, but said she has "a lot of worries."
"There is need for a better response," Torres said. "I’m still waiting to make the decision on whether this is the right one."
On Friday, city councilmembers received a copy of the proposed contract with GardaWorld, better known for its armored cars and security guards.
The proposal, which council must approve at its July 10 meeting, calls for GardaWorld to build a shelter with a 1,000 person capacity. It would also take over intake, food service, medical care, security and transportation for the migrants.
"This contract will help alleviate the current staffing pressures on city operations while providing for an additional service provider, without which Denver’s existing shelter system would not be able to meet the demand," city spokesperson Mike Strott said in an email to 9NEWS.
The pressure on Denver's shelter system has lessened as the ebb and flow of migrants has steadied to about 60 arrivals per day, down from several hundred per day in December and May.
Still, Strott said there are currently 45 city employees dedicated to migrant support — diverting their attention from their standard city duties. "The possibility of again seeing the levels we had in December and May is a real one, and this is a preparatory step should there be another prolonged period of increasing new arrivals," he said.
Torres said she has concerns an outside vendor won't be able to uphold the standard Denver has sought to maintain in its migrant response. "We’ve taken a lot of care as a city that welcomes migrants," she said. "There’s a care that comes with a local response that may not always come with an outside vendor that doesn’t know Denver, doesn’t know Colorado and maybe doesn’t even know this population."
Yoli Casas, whose nonprofit Vive Wellness has been a part of the city's migrant response since December, criticized the city's decision to hire GardaWorld.
"It feels like an insult," she said. "They just ignored all the people and all the organizations and businesses that have helped from the beginning."
She said an outside vendor would've been helpful during the initial surge of arrivals in December, but it's not needed now. Casas also criticized the proposed 1,000 person shelter.
"That's an encampment for me," she said. "That is not creating something that will be a positive for everybody."
Torres also expressed concern about the size of the proposed shelter and said she believes local partners like Casas should be included in the ongoing response. "I think the solution is to continue through that thread, connecting with local partners who deeply care about this community," she said.
Torres also expressed concern at voting on the contract at the city council's final scheduled meeting before the newly-elected mayor and city councilmembers take office for fear of sticking them with a contract they don't want.
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