By Bennito L. Kelty | Westword
In December 2022, the City of Denver declared an emergency after the arrival of thousands of migrants from the southern border. Since then, nearly 40,000 of them have come to the city.
The response has cost Denver $61 million so far and could cost another $120 million in 2024, according to city estimates, but Mayor Mike Johnston believes his new director of Denver’s Newcomer Program will steer the city toward a more sustainable path.
Now a month into her role, Sarah Plastino’s duties include compassion to migrants while shifting the city’s strategy from emergency response to a long-term plan. An immigration defense lawyer, Plastino told a small group of reporters during an interview on Wednesday, March 20, that this is “a refugee crisis” that is “going to unfold over a decade.”