Denver schools overwhelmed by migrant surge as mayor slashes $5M from public services to address crisis

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Denver cutting services to provide for migrants

Denver public school teacher Priscilla Rahn on the impact of illegal immigrants on residents and the public schools

A Denver public school teacher is sounding the alarm on the strain the migrant crisis is putting on classrooms as the city's Democratic mayor cuts millions from services for residents.

"We are already 100 students over projection, and we have new students coming in weekly. We're already past the October count. So every new student that we get, we don't have the funds to provide them with resources," teacher Priscilla Rahn told "Fox & Friends" Monday.

Mayor Mike Johnston pinned the blame on Republicans and former President Trump Friday while announcing $5 million in cuts from recreation centers, DMV services and city landscaping to pay for the migrant crisis.

DENVER MAYOR BLAMES REPUBLICANS AND TRUMP FOR $5M CUTS TO PAY FOR MIGRANT CRISIS

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"The choice by Republicans in Congress to purposefully kill a historic, bipartisan border deal this week will have a devastating impact in Denver," Johnston said after the Republicans blocked a bipartisan border deal, which included a foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel, from advancing Wednesday.

"Despite broad bipartisan support, I think [former President] Trump and Republican leaders saw this as a chance that if this bill actually passed, it would have successfully solved the problem facing cities and the border, and they would have rather seen it fail, so they could exacerbate these problems, extend the suffering of American people and of newcomers for their own electoral changes this November," he said, according to The Hill. 

Rahn, a candidate for Douglas County commissioner, called the cuts "incredibly unfair" for the city's families and placed the blame directly on President Biden, Mayor Johnston and Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

"We have seen across America and now in Denver, the large difference between liberal ideology and the reality of governing," she said. "And so the president has created this mess. And what we've seen is the mayor respond very emotionally."

"What I'd like to see the mayor and the governor do is to address the problem at the border and ask the president to bring back some of those polices that would make it more manageable."

800 MIGRANT FAMILIES BEING BOOTED FROM DENVER SHELTERS AS CITY NEARS BREAKING POINT

A migrant lies on the sleeping pad at a makeshift shelter in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 13, 2023. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

The cuts follow the mayor’s decision last month to divert $25 million from the city budget to the migrant crisis. That plan included pulling $10 million from a contingency fund and $15 million from a building remodel. Those actions followed the city’s decision to hold many positions vacant and review new or expanded contracts and programs.

Johnston says the crisis will cost the city around $180 million in 2024.

Texas has transported thousands of migrants to sanctuary cities like Denver, to showcase the problems that border states face when migrants flood their cities. Johnston told Fox News last week that the city was "very close" to a breaking point due to the crisis.

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"I’m incredibly proud of how city team members have stepped up over the past year, but it is clear that the federal government is not going to support our city," Johnston said, fighting back tears at a Friday press conference.

Denver passed laws to become a sanctuary city, but it doesn't include a right-to-shelter provision, which means there is no official policy that compels the local government to provide shelter indefinitely.

Along with these department budget cuts, the city will decrease the number of migrants it serves and will continue to monitor spending, Johnston said. Earlier this week, the city began ejecting around 800 migrant families from shelters as it scales back on aid for illegal immigrants. 

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Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report