What if Mayor Johnston Hired the Migrants Himself?

It seems like Mayor Mike Johnston has tried everything to make Denver a welcoming place for the nearly 40,000 South American migrants who have arrived here since December 2022. He’s opened up shelter space and organized a city-wide fundraiser. He called on city departments to cut their budgets to fund additional support. He even flew to Washington, DC, to personally appeal to President Biden for more federal money and fast-tracked work authorizations — twice! But with Congress embroiled in partisan turmoil, is there anything more he could do? César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández is a veteran immigration lawyer and Denver-based law professor with The Ohio State University, and he’s on today with a big, bold, unprecedented idea for the mayor.

César mentioned this recent debate within the University of California system and responded to this critique of the proposal from George Fishman of The Center for Immigration Studies. 

He will be appearing in conversation with State Senator Julie Gonzales at the Tattered Cover on Colfax on February 1 to promote his forthcoming book on immigration law, “Welcome the Wretched: In Defense of the ’Criminal Alien.’”

What do you think about César’s big idea? Should Denver lead in support of the migrants? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

We’ve got a bunch of resources for more ways to help the migrants in our newsletter Hey Denver, which you can subscribe to now at denver.citycast.fm.

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

• Denver Health
• Denver Art Museum - “Untitled: Artist Takeover,” Jan. 26 6-10 p.m. 

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices