Denver Spends $356 Million on Illegal Aliens—Then Forks Over $250K More to Justify It

Oh, for the love of sanctuary signs and self-righteous mayors, here we go again—Denver’s political leadership just lit another fat cigar with your tax dollars. Mayor Mike Johnston, the city’s sanctimony-in-chief, dropped a cool $250,000 of your money on legal fees for a congressional hearing about Denver’s “sanctuary city” status (Denver Gazette).

Let’s be clear: that $250K check? It’s just the appetizer. The full tab for these legal services is part of a $2 million contract with the D.C. firm Covington & Burling—because when you’re burning taxpayer dollars, why not go luxury?

And what was this all for? So Johnston could stroll into Washington like some progressive pope and preach the gospel of “sanctuary.” He wasn’t alone either. He dragged his entourage—chief of staff, press secretary, acting city attorney, and senior adviser—on this taxpayer-funded field trip. All while Denver is slashing city services due to budget woes (Axios Denver).

Now, if that was the whole scandal, we’d have ourselves a tidy little waste-of-money saga. But no. That’s just the newest spark in a raging dumpster fire. Because while Denver hemorrhages dollars on PR cover for illegal immigration, the grand total Johnston’s administration has flushed is a staggering $356 million (Common Sense Institute).

Let’s break it down:

• $228 million to educate over 16,000 illegal alien students in metro Denver schools.
• $49 million in unpaid ER visits.
• $79 million in services like housing, transport, food, and child care.

Meanwhile, gangs like Venezuela’s “Tren de Aragua” are reportedly active in Denver, with members tied to shootings and robberies (New York Post).

And what’s Johnston’s response? Legal threats be damned. The man’s said he’d block federal agents from enforcing immigration law in his city—even going so far as to evoke a “Tiananmen Square moment” where he’d personally stand in the way (NY Post).

This isn’t about compassion. It’s about political ego and ideological showboating. Johnston is spending millions to fight federal immigration law while bleeding the city’s budget dry. And now he’s hired high-priced legal muscle to make it look respectable.

Here’s a revolutionary idea: follow the law. Stop using Denver’s budget to bankroll illegal activity. And start putting legal residents first.

But nah. That wouldn’t trend on Twitter.