Denver, CO
Denver, a sanctuary city, is considering proposal to house migrants in elementary school: mayor's office
Fox News confirmed Friday that a vacant elementary school building in Denver, Colorado, may be turned into a migrant shelter.
A spokesperson for Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston said the building has been “identified as a potential migrant shelter, but nothing is final and there’s no paperwork,” adding the city has been “looking for buildings that would be suited as an emergency shelter.”
A spokesperson for Denver Public Schools, which owns the vacant building, told Fox News, “No determination has been made yet.”
ICE CONFIRMS AURORA, COLORADO GANG MEMBERS ARE IN THE UNITED STATES ILLEGALLY, RELEASED BY BIDEN ADMIN
Denver is a sanctuary city, meaning it does not enforce immigration law, nor does the city cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“The location you reference has been looked at as a possible site to provide temporary shelter for newcomers,” Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the Denver mayor’s office, clarified to Fox News. “No decisions have been made, nor contracts signed.
“It’s also probably worth pointing out that very few newcomers are in shelter at this time. In all of August, we saw around 150 people come through our shelter system, many of whom stayed for only a matter of hours before departing for other locations.”
Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang have overtaken an apartment building in Aurora, Colo., charging rent in exchange for “protection.” (Edward Romero)
GOP lawmakers have sounded the alarm on sanctuary city and open border policies in light of transnational gang activity in Colorado. The Tren de Aragua gang has been involved in apartment takeovers in Aurora, as seen in viral surveillance video that surfaced last week.
“The situation in Aurora, Colorado, is just the tip of the iceberg of the problems that come with the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies. While gangs overrun our cities, Gov. Polis and Mayor Coffman are complicit in the violence unfolding there that is putting Americans in danger,” Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna told Fox News Digital.
“These criminals are reportedly involved in human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors. We must quickly put an end to the wave of illegal aliens pouring into our country and ensure that justice is served for the victims of these monstrous acts.”
VENEZUELAN GANG’S ALLEGED TAKEOVER OF AURORA, COLORADO APARTMENTS BEGAN IN 2023: REPORT
Four Venezuelan nationals confirmed to be involved with Tren de Aragua were arrested in Aurora in a shooting outside one of the overtaken apartment buildings July 28.
In a letter shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation, GOP lawmakers wrote, “The Biden-Harris Administration’s open border policies coupled with the state of Colorado’s sanctuary policies and the city of Denver’s sanctuary city status have fueled and exasperated the immigration crisis in Colorado.”
The GOP lawmakers who penned the letter include Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Lauren Boebert, Doug Lamborn and Greg Lopez of Colorado.
This apartment building was overrun by alleged gang members who changed the locks, according to one resident. (Council member Danielle Jurinsky)
“Multiple local elected officials and the nonpartisan Perkins Coie law firm that was hired to investigate the takeover have confirmed numerous criminal acts committed by TdA gang members including threats of murder, robbery, extortion, trespassing, assaults and battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, drug related crimes, stolen vehicles, human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors,” the letter continued.
“Non sanctuary cities and neighboring communities have suffered harm from these policies and don’t have the resources or authorities to mitigate the influx of illegal aliens and TdA gang members.”
Aurora City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky told Fox News Digital, “Denver’s sanctuary policies and their approach to handling this migrant crisis is further exacerbating the problem and continuing to put American kids last.”
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The offices of representatives Roy and Boebert did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment before publication.
DENVER (KDVR) — Two Denver police vehicles were hit by separate drivers during a traffic stop last week, according to a social media post from the Denver Police Department.
On May 7, officers responded to a crash on northbound Interstate 25 near the exit for Alameda Avenue.
The officers were parked with their emergency lights on to direct the traffic away from the scene of the crash. Despite the lights being on, two separate vehicles crashed into the officers’ vehicles.
One driver caused minor damage to a Denver police vehicle and was cited for careless driving. The second driver caused extensive damage to a police vehicle and was cited for careless driving, as well as arrested for allegedly driving under the influence during the crash.
Officers were in their vehicles during the incident, with one uninjured and the other taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“Traffic safety is a shared responsibility! If you come upon flashing lights, emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or disabled vehicles while driving, move over at least one lane or slow down if it’s not safe to move over. And don’t drive under the influence,” said the department in the post.
Denver’s outdoor warning sirens will sound for three minutes on Wednesday morning as officials test the city’s emergency systems.
All 86 outdoor sirens are scheduled to go off at 11 a.m., and at the same time the wireless emergency alert system will send a test text message to all mobile phones in Denver.
People in neighboring counties may also receive the emergency alert message, the Denver Office of Emergency Management said in a statement.
“Speed and clarity are critical in an emergency,” Executive Director Matthew Mueller said in a statement. “This test helps ensure Denver can deliver alerts across multiple platforms, so people know what to do right away.”
Denver officials have mistakenly sent emergency alerts about isolated police activity to the entire city twice in recent months — once in January when a person was barricaded near the University of Denver and once in April when two armed robbery suspects ran into a nearby home in Ruby Hill.
Denver emergency response officials may start using the outdoor sirens more often, including for destructive thunderstorms or flash flooding, instead of just for tornado warnings, city leaders said in a news release.
While Denverites don’t need to take any action during the test on Wednesday, the sirens are usually a sign to seek shelter indoors immediately and check for updates from the city and local news outlets, according to Denver officials.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 5-14. The folks at the YMCA of Metro Denver believe that drowning deaths are completely preventable.
“Drowning is a silent killer, but we can prevent that through education and encouraging parents and adults around to put their phones down and be water watchers,” said Breezy Bolden, President & CEO of YMCA of Metro Denver.
In recognition of the Y’s 150th anniversary and the 5th anniversary of the Aurora YMCA, the Y is offering a free community swim lesson for up to 150 children ages 3-12.
“We are teaching sidewalk CPR and how to apply a life vest, and also what happens if you unexpectedly find yourself in water … you fall in … you want to swim to the side … so we’ll be teaching those water safety skills,” Bolden explained.
YMCA of Metro Denver is working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and the Wheatlands Metro District to fill up that community swim class, but anyone is welcome to register up to 150 participants. For families who aren’t able to get into the free class, the YMCA of Metro Denver offers swim lessons throughout the year. The Y is actually the national provider of swim lessons and created group swim lessons.
“I believe and many of us believe at the Y that swimming is a life skill, just like riding a bike. It gives you an opportunity to be physically active, safe around water, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors of Colorado and all the lakes and reservoirs we have around here,” Bolden said.
LINK: Register for the free Community Swim Lesson
The YMCA of Metro Denver’s free Community Swim Lesson is Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Aurora YMCA at Wheatlands, 6100 Kewaunee Way.
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