Denver mayor says conservative CEOs ask him every day why they can't hire illegal immigrants

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston claimed that conservative CEOs of various companies call him "every day" asking why they can't hire illegal immigrants or alleged asylum-seekers.

Johnston spoke to Fox News' "America's Newsroom" and reinforced the claim that many Democratic leaders have made that sanctuary cities simply need more funding to fix the problem of record-setting illegal immigration.

The mayor has reportedly focused on three steps to address the problems, including expediting asylum claims, work authorization, and a nationally coordinated entry system.

Asylum claims "should take 30 or 90 days, and not six years," the mayor said.

Johnston was challenged by host Dana Perino about whether he believes giving work authorization to illegal immigrants in the country would encourage others to jump the border.

"We're calling on Congress to take action on what they think the right border admission policy is. That's above my pay grade," the Denver politician replied. "Whether they decide to have 10,000 people enter a day or 5,000 enter a day, the key for us is that when they arrive in our cities, they need to be able to work. I think there's nothing more un-American than having someone arrive in your city and beg me every day for the chance to work," he added.

The Democrat then went on to describe the illegal aliens and migrants as skilled workers who are just looking for jobs.

"These are folks that are hard-working, they're industrious, they have skills, they want jobs. And I get calls from CEOs every day — conservative CEOs who say 'I have open jobs, why can't I hire these folks, let's put them to work,' and I agree with that sentiment."

Approximately 10% of Denver's budget has gone to aiding the migrants, the mayor stated, with the city's leader ultimately suggesting that the federal government send him more money, not stop illegal immigration.

"I have called the White House," Johnston told host Bill Hemmer. "We've told them we need more federal aid. That's why there's dollars in that supplemental budget to do that."

Johnston later compared the illegal migration, which has predominantly come from central and South America, to refugees from Ukraine or Afghanistan.

"We want the country to be able to work collaboratively to figure out where migrants should arrive and where there's capacity, in the same way we did with refugees from Ukraine or refugees from Afghanistan," he went on. "We know how to do this."

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