Blog

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

The Denver hospital system is turning away local residents because it is flooded with migrant visits…

ABC News reports Denver hospital system may collapse due to migrant crisis: ‘We are turning down patients’

CEO Speaks Out on Uncompensated Migrant Care

Beckers Hospital Review notes CEO says ‘It’s Going to Break Denver Health’

Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), discusses the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

Know Your Rights

The CMS want you to Know Your Rights.

Given 20,000 visits from illegal migrants, it seems the policy “know your rights” is a rousing success except to those who ultimately have to pay for the free handouts.

“I suspect that no other hospital in the state of Colorado can say that [they have cared for so many migrants] and there has been no reimbursement for that and quite frankly it is an ongoing conversation with the city, with the state and with the federal government,” Dr. Lynne said.

Questions Abound

Is Denver a Sanctuary City?

The answer to question number one is Denver seems to be both bragging and complaining.

The answer to question number 2 is more entertaining.

In 2017, Mayor Michael Hancock, said Denver “won’t be bullied or blackmailed,” mayor says as city officials propose limiting cooperation with ICE

There was no official statement using the term “sanctuary city” but here are details of the ordinance Denver passed.

• Denver will not honor immigration detainer requests to hold immigrants who would otherwise be released from jail so that immigration agents can pick them up. Denver will only respond to a judicial warrant — one signed by a judge. This reflects existing policy and the city’s understanding of the Fourth Amendment.

• Denver employees will not ask for or collect information on people’s citizenship or immigration status, except as required by federal or state law. This is already prevailing city policy.

• Denver will not share any information for the purposes of enforcing immigration law. Fingerprints of people booked into the jail will still go to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, as required by federal law, and sheriff’s deputies will inform ICE when certain immigrants are due to be released from jail.

• Denver will not use city resources to assist immigration enforcement, including prohibiting ICE agents from entering secure areas of the jail. That last practice is a change from current policies.

• The ordinance applies to all city employees, including probation officers and pre-trial services staff in the Denver County Courts. Making this an ordinance means that employees who violate these rules face stiffer penalties than they would for violating a predominant practice.

• “We will not be bullied and we will not be blackmailed. We lean on our values. The reality is we may lose funding. We understood that going forward. We are going to stand by our values because when this administration is over, that’s what we’ll be left with, our values,” said Mayor Hancock.

Unspokenly Sanctuary

If that does not constitute “sanctuary city” what does?

However, denial now runs deep.

“Colorado is not a sanctuary state, and the Governor is not focused on buzzwords but on ensuring our law enforcement resources go toward fighting actual crimes to help make Coloradans safer,” Conor Cahill, a spokesperson for governor Jared Polis, told Axios in a statement in January of 2023.

Douglas County Not Sanctuary

On October 22, 2023, CBS News reported Douglas County warns Denver not to send migrants their way: “Not a sanctuary jurisdiction”

What Percentage of Denver is Migrant?

It’s about one in twelve according to Vera.

Who Will Pay for This?

I believe you know the answer.

You will, to varying degrees. Those in sanctuary cities like Denver will bear the brunt whether or not the mayor or governor is in denial.

Those in places like Douglas County that “recognize the humanitarian plight” while “expressly affirming that the county is not a sanctuary jurisdiction,” not as much.

Emergency Executive Order to Stem Migrant Arrivals

On December 28, I noted New York City Mayor Issues Emergency Executive Order to Stem Migrant Arrivals

Texas Showdown

In Texas, the Supreme Court Lets Feds Cut Abbott’s Razor Wire

Sanctuary Cities Seek More Money for Migrants, But is Money the Problem?

On December 30, I asked Sanctuary Cities Seek More Money for Migrants, But is Money the Problem?

I suspect you know the answer to this one. If not here it is. The more money we throw at this problem, the worse it will get.

By the way, if you have not figured this out, it’s very inflationary.