COLORADO (KRDO) — Tuesday, Governor Polis announced the state will “assist migrants in completing their journeys,” saying Colorado will facilitate the voluntary transportation of migrants to other states.
The press release stated that around 70% of migrants in Colorado have different final destinations than Colorado, and his office is “simply carrying out our values of treating every human being with dignity and respect,” by coordinating travel plans.
We reached out to the Governor’s office for clarity on what “voluntary transportation” looks like in action. In an email, they wrote that the city has been purchasing tickets through companies like Greyhound for migrants for weeks.
Jill Lis, a spokesperson for Denver’s Emergency Operations center, says they did provide some tickets.
“Initially, if we connected with a migrant who was looking to get to Omaha and had a family member in Omaha,” said Lis, “we were providing some folks some tickets and support to get them to Omaha to reconnect with those folks.”
However, Lis, says the number of migrants hoping to travel has grown, and now it’s the state that is taking over the travel coordination efforts.
The Governor’s office did not respond to our questions of whether they’re paying for bus tickets. They also did not respond to our questions on how the 70% number was obtained.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said he was notified Monday of Governor Polis’ plans to send migrants to New York City.
He’s said the move was unfair and that local governments should not be expected to take on a national obligation.
Colorado offers ‘voluntary’ transportation for migrants; what does it mean?
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