As Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston says he's willing to go to prison for opposing President Trump's mass deportation plan, a new study shows that his Blue City is paying taxpayers a lot of money. The United States spends a whopping $356 million of its hard-earned tax dollars on immigrants.
This staggering amount, amounting to $7,900 per foreign national in the city, was revealed last week in a new analysis by the Common Sense Institute (CSI), a nonpartisan research organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the U.S. economy. Ta.
The group says it used city data to come up with the staggering amount, which is 8% of the city's $4.4 billion 2025 budget. This figure is a combination of the city's budget and local educational and medical institutions.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (right) and a resident of Denver (left). The city of Denver has spent a whopping $356 million of taxpayers' hard-earned money on immigrants since the crisis began in 2022 on education, health care, housing and more, according to a new study. That's what it means. (Hyun Chan/The Denver Post)
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says President Trump's mass immigrant deportations will cause a 'Tiananmen Square Massacre'
Denver has seen an unprecedented influx of immigrants into the city under the Biden-Harris administration, and Johnston has already cut back on city services that house and feed them. The cuts included reducing services at recreation centers and canceling spring flower bed planting, while the city tapped into emergency funds to pay for rising costs.
CSI claims that most of the $356 million spent on immigration went to education, with the city also spending on health care, hotels, transportation, and child care. Denver is a sanctuary city, which means no enforcement immigration law, The city also does not cooperate with immigration or customs officials.
Since December 2022, about 45,000 immigrants have arrived in the Denver metropolitan area and 16,197 immigrant students have enrolled in metro Denver schools, the organization said.
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“The total cost to metro Denver schools associated with new immigrant students is $228 million annually, representing 1% to 2% of the state’s total K-12 education budget for the 2024-25 school year. ,” the group wrote.
“Previous CSI reports estimated the per-student cost of instruction and support in metro Denver at $14,100 per year.Assuming this cost was borne by all recent immigrant students, the total cost would be $2. 28 million dollars.”
Meanwhile, doctors in Denver said earlier this year that the migrant crisis was pushing the state's hospital system to breaking point and creating a humanitarian crisis.
Migrants at a temporary shelter in Denver, Colorado, on January 13, 2023. (Hyun Chang/The Denver Post)
A CSI study estimates that emergency departments in the Denver metro area provide an estimated $49 million in unpaid care to immigrants.
“16,760 [migrant] For every emergency department visit in metro Denver between December 2022 and now, health care providers have provided $49,124,029 in unpaid care to immigrants.
At the peak of the migrant influx in January 2024, officials estimated Denver would spend $180 million by 2024, according to the study. Actual spending tracked by the city currently shows it will spend about $79 million.
“Of the total, 34.5% was spent on facilities including hotels, 29.4% on personnel, 14% on services and 11% on food,” the report said.
Mr. Johnston said in a recent interview that he was prepared to protest any conduct he deems “illegal, immoral, or un-American” in the city, including the use of force, and later said that he He was asked if he was prepared to go to prison. They are interfering with the policies enacted by the government.
Tom Homan, President Trump's nominee for “border czar,” told Fox News' Sean Hannity this week that he would jail Johnston if he broke the law protecting illegal immigrants. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“Yeah, I'm not afraid of it and I'm not looking for it,” Johnston said. “I think the goal is to be able to negotiate with reasonable people.” [on] How to solve difficult problems. ”
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Tom Homan, President Trump's nominee for “border czar,” told Fox News' Sean Hannity this week that he would jail Johnston if he broke the law protecting illegal immigrants.
“All he has to do is watch the Arizona vs. USA game and realize he's breaking the law. But look, me and the mayor of Denver, there's one thing we agree on. He's going to jail, I'm willing to go to jail.'' Put him in jail. ”
FOX News' Hannah Panlec contributed to this report.
