Denver, with its progressive credentials, decided not long ago that it would be a sanctuary city — proudly throwing open its gates to the world’s downtrodden. The rhetoric was lofty: a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and justice for those who had the misfortune of being born on the wrong side of international borders. It was a stance seemingly forged in moral superiority, one that the city could proudly broadcast to other, less “enlightened” parts of the nation. However, in reality, the story has been quite different.
Since the Biden administration took office, more than 20 million people have crossed the southern border — many illegally. Denver, like so many other sanctuary cities, quickly found itself woefully unprepared for the influx. Overcrowded shelters, resource depletion, and a marked increase in crime began to afflict the city. The reality of their “welcoming” stance hit home, but instead of reassessing their stance on sanctuary policies, Denver chose another path: to offload the burden.
What followed was an audacious exercise in hypocrisy. Unable to handle the strain, Denver started to ship immigrants to neighboring cities — places like Aurora and Lakewood, which had never once voted or clamored to become sanctuary cities. The irony was inescapable. While Denver basked in the progressive glow of its sanctuary status, its problems were being passed off to less self-congratulatory neighbors. The cost of compassion, it seemed, was always meant to be paid by someone else.
But Aurora and Lakewood, much like other American cities, aren’t immune to the consequences of mass migration. Along with the innocent families seeking a better life came something far more sinister: Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua — a brutal prison gang that has reportedly infiltrated several apartment complexes in Aurora. This gang is not some minor street-level group but a violent syndicate known for murder, extortion, and drug trafficking.
Yet, as this gang took root, nearly all of the local media outlets in the area curiously fell silent, save for a few bold and forthright publications that dared to report on such a happening. There was no acknowledgment, no reporting, no alarm bells rung in defense of the citizens who had to live with this newly imported menace.
When the media finally began to whisper that perhaps there was something amiss, the narrative quickly pivoted — not to focus on the gang or the danger they posed, but to cast aspersions on anyone raising concerns. Those who feared for their safety or worried about the well-being of their children were swiftly branded as heartless, racist, or worse. It’s a reflexive charge in today’s climate: concern for one’s safety is recast as xenophobia; a desire for order is denounced as bigotry. Rather than face the uncomfortable truth about what the city’s policies had wrought, the problem was redefined as those who dared to object to it.
There’s an astonishing double standard at play here. The ire of Denver’s political class and progressive advocates is reserved not for violent foreign gangs or for criminals exploiting America’s porous borders, but for ordinary Americans who express concern. Their real enemies, it seems, are not the criminals wreaking havoc in communities, but the citizens who expect their government to do its most basic job: to protect them.
And yet, for years, the people of Denver had a very different enemy in their sights: not international criminals or gangsters, but fellow Americans. For over a decade, much of the city’s progressive left trained its outrage on domestic migration. Transplants from California, Texas, Chicago, and New York were supposedly ruining the city — driving up housing costs, gentrifying neighborhoods, making it impossible for “natives” to live comfortably. The influx of Americans was framed as an existential threat to Denver’s character and affordability. But when 20 million illegal immigrants streamed over the border, the same people suddenly became paragons of hospitality.
Let’s consider the hard numbers. Even if only 1% of the 20 million who have entered the country over the last three years come with malevolent intentions — that’s still 200,000 people. That number should be chilling, especially when we remember it took just 19 hijackers to bring America to its knees on 9/11. But the modern progressive mindset won’t entertain such calculations. To do so would be labeled alarmist or worse, and so the problem is ignored — until it becomes impossible to ignore any longer.
This isn’t about vilifying all immigrants. Many of those coming across the border are fleeing unspeakable conditions. But a government’s duty is first and foremost to its own citizens, and Denver’s leadership has failed in that regard. By turning a blind eye to the consequences of their own policies, by shipping their problems to surrounding cities, and by demonizing anyone who voices legitimate concerns, Denver’s political class has exposed the profound rot at the heart of the city’s progressive experiment.
The question is no longer whether or not Denver can continue to handle the influx of immigrants. It can’t. The real question is when, if ever, the city’s leaders will acknowledge the damage they’ve done — not just to their city, but to the communities they’ve pushed their problems onto.
Ahnaf Kalam is the digital media specialist and podcast producer at the Middle East Forum. Since 2017, he has been a writer and researcher for the Forum’s Islamist Watch project, and is a regular contributor to the Focus on Western Islamism publication. His work has appeared in The American Spectator, The Gazette, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, and other publications. He holds a B.A. in political science and international studies from the University of Colorado, Denver.
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