The situation in Denver, Colorado, has become contentious after a group of illegal immigrants camped under a bridge sent a letter to the local government. The city asked the people from the encampment to vacate the site and relocate to a city shelter. However, the immigrants are insisting that they will only comply if the city council meets their demands.
As reported by Fox 31, the group has stated that they will only vacate their makeshift camp if their demands, outlined in the letter, are met. A top priority for the immigrant group is food. They completely refuse to be fed pre-cooked meals and demand on being provided with fresh ingredients to cook their own meals.
The food must also be "culturally appropriate" for the immigrants and must be "provided by the city council." According to Fox 31, their requested items include "rice, chicken, flour, oil, butter, tomatoes, onions." They also demand that "people will not be punished for bringing in and eating outside food," according to the letter collected by the local media.
Below is the complete list of the camp group's demands, as reported by Fox 31:
- Migrants will cook their own food with fresh, culturally appropriate ingredients provided by the city instead of premade meals – rice, chicken, flour, oil, butter, tomatoes, onions, etc… Also people will not be punished for bringing in & eating outside food.
- Shower access will be available without time limits & can be accessed whenever – we are not in the military, we’re civilians.
- Medical professional visits will happen regularly & referrals/connections for specialty care will be made as needed.
- All will receive the same housing support that has been offered to others. They cannot kick people out in 30 days without something stable established.
- There needs to be a clear, just process before exiting someone for any reason – including verbal, written & final warnings.
- All shelter residents will receive connection to employment support, including work permit applications for those who qualify.
- Consultations for each person/family with a free immigration lawyer must be arranged to discuss/progress their cases, & then the city will provide on-going legal support in the form of immigration document clinics & including transportation to relevant court dates.
- The city will provide privacy for families/individuals within the shelter.
- No more verbal or physical or mental abuse will be permitted from the staff, including no sheriff sleeping inside & monitoring 24/7 – we are not criminals & won’t be treated as such.
- Transportation for all children to & from their schools will be provided until they finish in 3 weeks.
- No separating families, regardless of if family members have children or not. The camp will stay together.
- The city must schedule a meeting with the Mayor & those directly involved in running the Newcomer program ASAP to discuss further improvements & ways to support migrants.
- The city must provide all residents with a document signed by a city official in English & Spanish with all of these demands that includes a number to call to report mistreatment.
