'No space' in Utah, as Denver pays for migrants to relocate here

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Denver is paying travel costs to send migrants to Utah — roughly 2,000 so far — even as the state, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County lack capacity to care for them, and as they urge asylum seekers to go someplace else.

"Any individual who travels through our system makes their own decision on their destination," said Jon Ewing, with the Denver City-County Department of Human Services. "We are simply helping people connect with family, friends, or existing support systems."

Less than a week ago, 2News reported on migrant families 'processed' at the southern border, then sent to Denver, and then who landed here with hardly any guidance or preparation.

"They arrived in Salt Lake City with very little information other than instructions to find a person in uniform to help," said Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown, in an email to the department.

A news publication, Denverite, reported in February that Denver bought more than 1,600 bus tickets since late 2022 to send "new immigrants" to Salt Lake City. Thursday, Ewing gave the updated 2,000 figure.

PREVIOUS REPORTING:

• Migrants 'processed' at border flown unprepared to Salt Lake City
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2News asked if local leaders expressed concerns over Denver's pay-to-send practice. We contacted spokespersons for the state, city and county.

"I have, myself, communicated our displeasure," said Andrew Roberts, chief of staff for Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, adding local resources cannot "absorb" an influx of migrants.

A spokesman for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office first said it had "not independently confirmed" Denver is paying to send migrants---then later said it's his understanding the Mayor's Office conveyed concerns about it to Denver counterparts, but he was not on the call.

Within the last several weeks, officials in Utah approved a flyer---all in Spanish---that essentially tells asylum seekers not to come here. Salt Lake City and County mayors, and the state signed off on the language.

"There is no space available in shelters," said the flyer, which contains the state seal, and logos for Salt Lake City and County. "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."

2News has not had an answer on where the flyer is being distributed, but the Governor's Office said, "Now, with this bulletin, we’re communicating directly with those illegally crossing the border."

Denver said it’s had more than 42,000 people arrive from the southern border since late 2022.

While Denver has paid the fares of migrants bound here, Ewing said "in rare instances" when it buys plane tickets, "we will try to inform cities of the travel."

Ewing called the notion Denver is moving a “problem” to Utah “a misunderstanding of the situation and of people’s needs.”

He also said Denver is in "regular communication" with cities across the country.

The Salt Lake City Mayor's Office said it was unaware in advance of the migrant transfers to Salt Lake in late May, and police said they had never dealt with newly-arrived migrants in distress.

Ewing said Denver will continue to pay costs of sending migrants here.

“Yeah we will,” he said. “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.”

A spokesman for the Salt Lake County Mayor’s Office said it takes pride in a welcoming reputation, “but there is a limit to the resources we can provide to people in need”—and Salt Lake City said more often, the metro area is seeing asylum seekers “who do not have existing connections or family in Utah.”

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