'Sanctuary city' Denver sends illegal aliens to Utah: 'Completely unacceptable'

Denver, Colorado, a self-proclaimed "sanctuary city," has been sending illegal immigrants to Salt Lake City, Utah, according to a recent KUTV report.

Jon Ewing, with Denver Human Services, told the news outlet that illegal aliens arriving in the Colorado city are being bused and, in some cases, flown to other states across the nation.

'Fix this untenable situation.'

According to Ewing, individuals are not encouraged to relocate to any particular city or state but are provided with transportation services to continue to their destination of choice.

"Any individual who travels through our system makes their own decision on their destination," Ewing told KUTV. "We are simply helping people connect with family, friends, or existing support systems."

Ewing reported that Denver has provided roughly 2,000 bus tickets since late 2022 to send illegal aliens to Salt Lake City. He insisted that critics' claims that the city was moving a "problem" to Utah is "a misunderstanding of the situation and of people's needs." Ewing further noted that Denver is in "regular communication" with the cities where the illegal aliens are being relocated. He added that Denver plans to continue sending the individuals elsewhere.

"Again, it's at their request. We will never encourage anyone to go to Salt Lake City. We will never point a finger at a map and tell someone where they should go," Ewing claimed.

A spokesperson for Denver's mayor's office told KDVR, "The vast majority of newcomers arriving in Denver do so on buses chartered from Texas and had no intention of ever coming to Denver. That's why part of our operations include purchasing tickets for newcomers to get to their desired location, where they may have support networks or job opportunities."

Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown stated that the illegal immigrants arrive "with very little information other than instructions to find a person in uniform to help."

Andrew Roberts, chief of staff for Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, told KUTV that the city lacks the resources to "absorb" the uptick in illegal aliens arriving in the area.

"I have, myself, communicated our displeasure," Roberts said, referring to Denver sending illegal aliens to Salt Lake City.

A spokesman for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office also noted that the office has expressed concerns regarding Denver's actions.

Utah officials recently approved a flyer that states in Spanish that the city has "no space available in shelters," KUTV reported.

"Food banks and other basic needs services are at capacity. If you do not have a secure and stable connection or family in Utah, consider another state to settle in the US," the flyer read, according to the news outlet.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's (R) office stated, "Now, with this bulletin, we're communicating directly with those illegally crossing the border."

In a Friday statement on X, Cox wrote, "We recently learned that the Democrat mayor of Denver has been sending illegal immigrants to Utah without proper notification or approval. This is completely unacceptable and follows on the failed catch-and-release policy of the Biden administration. Every state has received illegal immigrants and Utah's resources are completely depleted. All 50 states, including Utah, are now border states due to the failed immigration policies of President Biden and Congress. Once again we call on the Biden administration and Congress to solve this crisis."

Jennifer Naipier-Pearce, senior advisor of communications for the governor's office, told KDVR, "Since learning of Denver's policy, we've worked with Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City to push back on the Department of Homeland Security, the city of Denver, the state of Colorado and the Biden administration demanding they immediately stop this practice. We've also worked with Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County to communicate to migrants, NGOs along the southern border, and other cities including Denver that we are unable to provide services to these illegal immigrants. Denver must end this practice and Congress and the president must do their job and fix this untenable situation."

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