Colorado Governor to Send Illegal Immigrants to New York, Other Cities

A bus carrying illegal immigrants from Texas arrives at Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York on Aug. 10, 2022. Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

The state of Colorado is organizing transportation to send the illegal immigrants flooding into the state to other major cities around the United States.

Announcing the move on Jan. 3, Gov. Jared Polis’ office said in a statement that Colorado had been “working tirelessly” to address the dramatic influx of immigrants, of which the state estimated roughly 70 percent intend to travel elsewhere.

The state-organized transportation, the news release noted, will be voluntary and coordinated with the help of “culturally competent navigators.”

“No one should play politics with the lives of migrants who came here to escape oppression, and in Colorado, we are honoring our values of treating people with dignity and respect,” Polis said.

According to Polis, his goal is to help illegal immigrants by sending them safely to their desired destinations, not shift the burden of their presence onto other states.

Acknowledging that burden nonetheless, the Democratic governor added, “States and cities cannot continue to bear this burden alone and Congress needs to finally step up—we need an immediate route to work permits, and to finally enact better border security and immigration reform.”

The statement also noted that the state is working with the City of Denver and nonprofits to provide intake, processing, and transportation coordination with the help of the receiving communities.

State of Emergency

In December, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock declared a state of emergency amid the surge of illegal immigrants entering the city, mainly traveling from the southern border town of El Paso, Texas.

“Let me be frank: This influx of migrants, the unanticipated nature of their arrival, and our current space and staffing challenges have put an immense strain on city resources to the level where they’re on the verge of reaching a breaking point at this time,” Hancock said at a Dec. 15 press conference.

“What I don’t want to see is a local humanitarian crisis of unsheltered migrants on our hands because of a lack of resources,” the Democrat added.

Additionally, despite his political affiliation, Hancock was not afraid to criticize the current administration’s handling of the crisis.

“As a nation, we’re aware of the challenges in those [Central American] countries,” Hancock noted. “We’re aware [of] their desire to come to the United States, and with that awareness, our federal government and Congress have not acted appropriately to address it.”

National ‘Embarrassment’

According to Politico, Polis’ office confirmed Tuesday that Colorado began transporting immigrants to New York City and other destinations weeks ago, yet New York Mayor Eric Adams said in an interview Tuesday that he was only notified of those plans on Jan. 2.

Nonetheless, Adams seemed to share his fellow Democrat leaders’ frustration with the federal government’s failure to address the border crisis.

“This is just unfair for local governments to have to take on this national obligation,” Adams said.

Describing the situation as a national “embarrassment,” Adams contended that both the president and Congress have a responsibility to act.

“I think the president has an obligation to deal with the immediate concerns,” he said. “But when we talk about immigration, it is going to take a combination of the executive and the legislative body. We have to address this. … No city should have to make a decision if they’re going to provide for their citizens—particularly coming out of COVID—or if they’re going to deal with an onslaught of migrants and asylum seekers.”

Republican Actions

While Polis portrayed his plans as an act of compassion, that is not how other Democrats have viewed the similar actions of Republican governors facing the same situation in recent months.

For instance, in September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made waves with his decision to fly illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

That move, though supported by many of his fellow Republicans, sparked Democrat calls for an investigation—calls that were answered by both a Texas sheriff and the Treasury Department.

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced that his administration bused more than 16,000 migrants to sanctuary cities this year. Included among those cities was Washington, where illegal immigrants traveling from Texas were dropped off near the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris on Christmas Eve.

But while the White House criticized that decision as a “cruel, dangerous, and shameful stunt,” Abbott responded by saying that the Biden administration has been doing the same thing.

“The White House is full of a bunch of hypocrites, led by the Hypocrite-in-Chief who has been flying planeloads of migrants across the country and oftentimes in the cover of night,” noted Renae Eze, an Abbott spokesperson.

“Instead of their hypocritical complaints about Texas providing much-needed relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities, President Biden and Border Czar Harris need to step up and do their jobs to secure the border-something they continue failing to do,” Eze added.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House and the offices of Polis and Adams for comment.