(The Center Square) \u2013 Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the state is \u201chonoring our values of treating people with dignity and respect\u201d by transporting migrants to cities like New York City and Chicago; however, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called it \u201cinhumane.\u201d<\/p>\n
While New York has received thousands of migrants from other states for months, thus far they have only come from Republican-led Texas and Arizona, which had a GOP governor last year. Colorado\u2019s Polis is a Democrat, like Adams.<\/p>\n
Adams accused Polis of pushing the problem to big cities without as much as a heads-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just unacceptable,\u201d Adams told reporters Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I have been extremely reserved on what has been happening,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if we really understand the magnitude of dropping 30,000 people in this city that\u2019s already gone through a crisis. And it\u2019s as though people just (say), \u2018Okay, well, New York handled it.\u2019 And we have handled it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement Tuesday, Polis said roughly 70% of the migrants currently in Denver aren\u2019t planning to stay in the Colorado capital. However, the weather and a lack of workers have caused transportation issues that apparently prevent those individuals from reaching their final destination.<\/p>\n
Polis said the state is working with Denver officials and nonprofits to help people voluntarily reach their preferred landing place.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are simply carrying out our values of treating every human being with dignity and respect,\u201d Polis said. \u201cColoradans would expect nothing less from us to uphold our shared values to assist people fleeing oppression. The stories I\u2019ve heard firsthand from migrants are heartbreaking, and we are helping these individuals complete their long and arduous journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
In New York, the crisis has led to the city converting more than 60 hotels to emergency shelters for its new arrivals. On Wednesday, Adams explained that the city issued a request for proposals for a new relief center to better control the costs associated with sheltering the migrants.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day, we start our day moving around the chess pieces to solve this crisis that we did not create. That\u2019s real,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Both Polis and Adams said the federal government needs to intervene and take the problem from state and local leaders\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n
Adams also fears what may happen once Title 42 ends and more migrants wind up staying in the U.S. He recalled a conversation earlier in the week with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is experiencing many of the same challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says, \u2018Eric, we have been a little too patient. We can\u2019t do anything to embarrass our families. But it\u2019s about time we start to do that,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is inhumane of what\u2019s happening, and I\u2019m just blown away that many people are critiquing us. No, critique the people who made this mess that are placing people in this environment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(The Center Square) \u2013 Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the state is \u201chonoring our values of treating people with dignity and respect\u201d by transporting migrants…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":94147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n