Denver mayor says city ‘very close to its breaking point’ amid influx of migrants

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) warned that the city is nearing a “breaking point” as it struggles to cope with the large number of immigrants.

“I think our city is very close to breaking point right now,” Johnston said in an interview on “Fox & Friends” that aired Wednesday.

“And we’ve been talking with leaders in Washington, D.C., across the country about why we need to take action here. Last year, we successfully admitted almost 40,000 immigrants. “I think we know what it takes to make this a success, and we need that help,” he continued.

In an interview with FOX News’ Lawrence Jones, Johnston said more efforts are needed to combat the influx of immigrants into the United States, including securing resources to streamline work permits and increasing federal support. said it was necessary.

“And what we need is, yes, we need federal funding, but most importantly, we need work permits when people arrive. We also need increased security at the border. We need those resources at the border so we can help process asylum cases so people can work when they arrive here,” Johnston said.

Cities across the country are trying to accommodate thousands of migrants as record numbers of people enter the country at the southern border. Republicans are seeing the border situation as a rallying cry, with many lawmakers calling on President Biden to take action as the Senate’s bipartisan negotiators scramble to reach a key agreement on the issue. .

Democratic-led cities are also dealing with additional immigration as Republican governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), are also dealing with bus migration north. Asked if he agreed with Mr. Abbott sending immigrants to sanctuary cities, Mr. Johnston said he understood the reasons for doing so, but said a small number of cities should not be responsible for immigrants.

“I don’t think any state or city should do that. I think that’s the same way we’ve approached it. He primarily sends people to three cities: New York, Denver and Chicago. And I don’t think any state should do that, and I don’t think any of the three cities should do that,” Johnston said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (Democratic) has also repeatedly called on the federal government to help the city deal with the immigration crisis. He said New York City has seen a surge of more than 160,000 asylum seekers since last year.