Denver spends millions on transporting migrants to other parts of US

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The city of Denver has spent millions of dollars in the last year transporting thousands of migrants to other parts of the country, officials confirmed this week.

CBS News first reported that Denver has spent nearly $4.5 million transporting more than 12,000 migrants out-of-state.

A spokesperson for the city’s government confirmed the figures to Fox News Digital.

LIBERAL CITY'S COSTS FOR SHELTERING MIGRANTS NEARS $25 MILLION

"We provide migrant guests who wish to stay in Denver with shelter and support. However, we also understand that many individuals arriving in Denver from the southern border have other destinations in mind," the spokesperson said. "This is often because they have built-in support systems from family and friends in those cities, or because they believe they will have a better chance at finding work that suits their skills."

 Venezuelan migrants wait in line for food from a food truck  at a migrant processing center on May 9, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.  ((Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images))

"Our priority is to ensure migrant guests are treated fairly and are placed in the situation that fits their needs. Individual tickets are purchased based on destination requests directly from migrants to various cities, after insurances are gathered that the individual or family truly desires the intended location," they said. 

CBS reported that the transport costs are for plane, bus and train tickets, although the number of plane tickets was relatively few with only a few hundred purchased.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was one of a number of mayors who recently appealed to the White House for financial help from the federal government. They are seeking $5 billion in aid, while the administration is seeking around $1.4 billion from Congress as part of a $14 billion supplemental for border security.

Denver confirmed in September that its expenses for migrant sheltering were close to $25 million. The city had declared a state of emergency late last year after numbers shot up in December.

NEW YORK CITY TO REDUCE POLICE NUMBERS, SLASH BUDGETS DUE TO BILLIONS SPENT ON MIGRANT CRISIS 

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Denver put certain limits on migrant shelter earlier this year, including a 30-day limit for how long migrants can stay in a shelter, as well as bars on returns and migrants engaging in "illegal activity."

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Migrant transportation has been a controversial political issue, particularly after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced last year that he would bus migrants to sanctuary cities. He has also sent buses to Denver.

Meanwhile, in New York City where there have been over 130,000 migrant arrivals since last year, the city has slashed budgets for education, policing and sanitation, citing the spiraling costs of the crisis it is facing.