WEEK OF APRIL 11, 2024
VOLUME 37 | ISSUE 19
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Migrants from Venezuela who have arrived in Denver in recent months have stayed in and around a Quality Inn hotel near Speer BoulePHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA vard and Zuni Street, used as a temporary shelter by Denver Human Services.
Douglas County OKs law to limit unloading bus passengers BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Fearing that buses of migrant people bound for Denver will stop in Douglas County, commissioners gave the green light to a law to limit the unloading of bus passengers. Even though officials have acknowledged that they aren’t aware of any migrants being dropped off in the county, elected leaders unanimously approved an ordinance barring drivers from unloading passengers in “unplanned locations.” The rule applies to large swaths of the county south of Denver, including heavily populated Highlands Ranch.
Douglas officials framed the proposed policy as safeguarding the “community’s overall well-being.” The draft text of the proposed law states that any “unplanned” unboarding of passengers “creates a danger situation for the unloaded commercial passengers, and is detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of the community.” The Douglas County News-Press is not aware of any reports of mass numbers of migrants being dropped off in the county. Before voting to approve the law in the 3-0 vote, Commissioner George Teal said: “There will come a time when we need this ordinance, and it
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might be sooner than later.” Teal worried that Denver would start diverting buses carrying migrants from Texas to Colorado’s capital city to neighboring communities. “I can’t help but think it’s only a matter of time,” Teal said. Asked by the News-Press about that fear, Jon Ewing, a city spokesperson, said Denver has not diverted buses of migrants to Douglas County. “We haven’t and we won’t,” Ewing said. The county’s move comes as the number of migrant people who have come to or through Denver has
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