Editorial: Venezuelan refugees in Denver need shelter, jobs and a chance
By THE DENVER POST EDITORIAL BOARD |
January 12, 2023 at 5:01 a.m.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock is correct that the city cannot indefinitely house roughly 1,100 refugees, most from Venezuela, in recreation centers and partner emergency shelters. And it’s possible the number of refugees arriving in Denver may swell.
However, the brief time when these destitute individuals are in contact with authorities is an opportunity for officials, whether state or local, to set them up for as much success as possible in a country that has almost entirely ignored their pleas for humanitarian aid and deemed their very existence illegal.
We worry 14 days will not be enough time, as did the refugees we talked to, who are aware of the new deadline set by Hancock.
The city has done an incredible job processing the refugees as they have arrived by bus. The recreation centers serving as shelters, one of which The Post toured on Wednesday, are well run, offering humane living and sleeping conditions and giving people access to basic resources like clothing, hygiene products, and information about the bus system. But people are sleeping on the hard floor with mats and blankets. It is not a long-term solution.
https://www.denverpost.com/2023/01/12/colorado-migrants-shelter-immigrants-denver-recreation-centers/
