Progressive Denver Mayor Defends 'Newcomers' Gang Violence

Sarah Arnold reporting for Townhall 

More and more videos surface showing what the Biden-Harris Administration’s reckless border policies have done to the United States, including dangerous gang violence that is terrorizing American communities. 

Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is taking over apartment buildings in Colorado, which is known for human smuggling and money laundering thanks to the Democratic Party’s wide open southern border. As the Biden-Harris Administration continues to allow illegal immigrants to enter the U.S., Americans increasingly become concerned about their safety. 

However, according to one Democrat, illegal immigrants and crime are synonymous despite multiple reports of crimes committed by undocumented aliens since President Joe Biden took office.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnson (D) claimed, "Historically, it’s always true that we lower levels of crime around migrants than we do among our general population.” The Democrats claimed there is a misconception that illegal immigrants are more dangerous and cause more trouble. 

However, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, the amount of criminal immigrants arriving in the country has spiked since 2021— the same year Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office. The report found that more than 13,000 "criminal noncitizens" who have tried to enter the U.S. illegally have been apprehended by Border Patrol agents in Fiscal Year 2024— a stark increase from 4,269 in FY 2019.

The report also found that the majority of criminal illegal immigrants who have been apprehended at the border have been previously convicted of crimes, including domestic violence, assault, and manslaughter. 

Earlier this year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested 171 illegal aliens, all of which had pending charges or convictions for murder, homicide, or assault against children. 

Johnson's insensitive comments show how little he respects or wants to keep his residents safe. Democrats like Johnson only give criminal illegal immigrants more ammunition to unlawfully enter the U.S. and commit crimes because the criminals will also hear this and know that nothing will be done.

Johnson and many other Democrats are more worried about “perception” than the safety of his own community.  

Denver is on track to spend significantly less on the migrant crisis than expected in the 2024 budget. Initially, Johnson planned to spend $90 million on his "newcomer" program but is preparing to make cuts to the city’s budget in 2025.

"We think the budget we had set aside for migrants; we’ll actually be able to pull to support other city agencies,” Johnston said. 

The "newcomer" program would give illegal immigrants resources such as housing assistance and connection with a workforce training program, while the city would face reduced hours at rec centers and the DMV to afford the program. The city also planned to change how it pays 911 operators to save money.