DENVER (KDVR) — Around 150 migrants have shown up in Denver in recent days, and now the city and local groups are scrambling to help accommodate them.
Denver said Tuesday afternoon that the city is opening an emergency shelter for “up to 100 migrants who arrived in the city overnight,” according to the Office of Emergency Management. Around 50 more arrived at the Denver Rescue Mission on Tuesday, the organization said.
The OEM said the migrants came from the southern border, telling FOX31’s Greg Nieto that they showed up over the weekend and overnight with little notice.
The city is setting up its shelter at a city-owned recreation center. The OEM released photos from the shelter, showing dozens of cots lined up.
Denver’s OEM did not immediately identify which rec center, “due to the security and sensitivity of this evolving situation.”
Denver Rescue Mission said it was working with the city to help with the influx of migrants. The dozens of people who arrived at the Lawrence Street Shelter on Tuesday will stay there for now.
“We just know that they’re here and we’re gonna serve them as best as possible, because we believe all humanity deserves to be served at the highest possible level,” Rescue Mission spokesperson Stephen Hinkel said.
Officials have not released information about the origin of the migrants’ trek.