In recent years, the City of Denver has served more than 40,000 migrants. Now, Mayor Mike Johnston is being asked to testify in a hearing on immigration and so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions.”

On Wednesday Johnston and CBS Colorado’s Jasmine Arenas discussed how immigration issues have impacted the community. He said it has been difficult to have conversations with families about deportation, but despite the challenges, he stands by his decision to support families with what the resources the city can.

“We didn’t choose this outcome. When the governor of Texas decided to send 40,000 people on buses to Denver, we made sure we were going to serve them,” Johnston said.

Since then, the City of Denver has spent more than $350 million on migrant services. Despite this, Denver has never identified itself as a “sanctuary city.” Johnston is at the forefront of the criticism.

“What does the term ‘sanctuary city’ mean to you?” Arenas said.

“What that means for Denver is we do not ask someone’s immigration status. We don’t know your status, so we don’t share your status with other federal agencies. However, if the federal government, like (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), identifies someone in our jails and wants to deport them or take action when they’re released, we notify them when the person is being released, and they can pick them up at that point,” Johnston said.

Johnston added that, so far, ICE has not directly reached out to his administration for any collaboration on this.

“But if they do send notice requests to the jail, we respond, and we’ve had a few over the last few weeks,” he said.

In the past year, Johnston’s administration has been focused on finding solutions, including launching the Denver Asylum Seeker Program, which has successfully integrated migrants into the workforce.

“They’re now working, paying taxes and supporting their families. We don’t want to see those folks pulled off the job or their kids taken out of school,” he said.

In recent weeks, his office has received a surge of calls from families concerned about their future.

“We know there’s a lot of fear, and we’re having those hard conversations. Denver is not going to change our values. We’re not going to be bullied or blackmailed into changing our approach,” Johnston said.

The mayor remains noncommittal on whether he will testify before Congress but said he is having conversations about it. Today, he also outlined his citywide goals for 2025, including lowering housing costs and increasing public safety.