A small Colorado mountain town already struggling with a housing crisis has been flooded with more than 120 Venezuelan immigrants seeking refuge.
The immigrants were reportedly drawn to the town of Carbondale — 6,181 feet above sea level and 25 miles from the interstate — hoping to work in a town they heard had severe labor shortages in the ski and hospitality industries, as well as in construction.
But many residents of the town of fewer than 7,000 people are being left out of the community that increasingly draws tourists to its artsy downtown, with not enough housing for its ski resort workers, 9News reported.
“We don’t want to be a destination for people,” Mayor Ben Bohmfalk told a local news station.
“We cannot take more people than we have now. We are really beyond what we can handle.”
The town has been grappling with a migrant crisis since a group of 80 Venezuelan men were found living under a local bridge.
Carbondale, Colo., has been grappling with a migrant crisis since a group of 80 Venezuelan men were found living under a local bridge. Reuters
Since then, local officials say, more have come — including some women and children.
Some are sheltered in hotels, supported by local organizations. Others stayed outside their cars as temperatures in the area dropped below freezing.
About 20 more immigrants are housed in meeting rooms at city hall, while another 60 stay in the Third Street Center gymnasium — a former elementary school that now rents space to artists and ballet studios.
It was meant to be a short-term solution, as the shower was several blocks away, according to the Washington Post.
Many residents of the town of fewer than 7,000 people are left out of the community that increasingly draws tourists to its artsy downtown, with not enough housing for ski resort workers. Reuters
For the past month, residents have complained that garbage is piling up outside and migrants living in temporary shelters report that the pipes are constantly clogged.
But as winter approaches, the Third Street Center has agreed to extend its arrangements — even as it says it will reduce its number of residents from 60 to 45, making it harder for city officials to house those left behind.
“Carbondale is generally pretty Democratic and liberal, so we get a lot of ‘You’re doing the right thing,'” Third Street Center director Colin Laird told the Washington Post.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity for the right thing anymore.”
Town trustee Marty Silverstein added: “While I have a lot of sympathy for our new residents, we have people who have lived here five, 10 years who are really struggling.”
The migrants were reportedly attracted by the prospect of working in a town they heard had severe labor shortages in the ski and hospitality industries, as well as in construction. Reuters
Still, the board of trustees has committed to supporting shelters of up to 100 people until March, and is asking a former school superintendent to manage the situation.
In his new role, Rob Stein said the city is working to finalize shelter arrangements for 20 more people and establish a fourth shelter for women and children, according to the Aspen Daily News.
But officials are scrambling to find space for these shelters, with more than a dozen sites in the region refusing to help, according to City Manager Lauren Gister, who once counted more than 140 immigrants in the city.
He added that nearby cities and counties only offered to deliver cots and COVID tests.
“If we ignore the problem, we could create permanent homelessness in the Roaring Fork Valley at an unprecedented level,” Alex Sanchez, executive director of Voces Unidas, a regional advocacy group, told Aspen Public Radio.
“People are going to die at the end of the day if we continue to see this lack of structure and coordination.”
Mayor Ben Bohmfalk said immigrants “effectively increased the homeless population by about 500% and increased the city’s population by 2%.” Getty Images
Gister said she also worries about staffing more shelters.
Local organizations and municipalities are already understaffed, he said, and shelters need bilingual staff for day-to-day operations.
To try to deal with the influx, Bohmfalk requested nearly $224,000 in state emergency funds earlier this month.
He noted in his letter to the state that immigrants “effectively increased the city’s nonresident population by approximately 500% and increased the city’s population by 2%.”
Bohmfalk said he was frustrated by the lack of support coming from state and federal agencies.
Bohmfalk said he was frustrated by the lack of support coming from state and federal agencies. Getty Images
“When we talk to our supporters at the Department of Local Affairs and say, you know, ‘Is there state support for this or federal support? Is there such an agency when this happens in the community?’ They basically said, ‘No,’” he told CBS Colorado.
The mayor warned his counterparts in the region that they should prepare for a humanitarian crisis: “You will probably feel the effects of this in your community very soon.”
In the meantime, he warned immigrants to stay away.
“We don’t want people to look at these stories and think, ‘Oh, Carbondale is the place to go. They are very welcoming,’” he told 9News.
“We are absolutely not ready to take on more people.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
