Migrants worried about federal policy shift meet with Immigrant and Refugees Affairs Division

DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver office that helps immigrants recognizes many community members may feel stressed or uncertain about the future after last week's election.

Some of them are reaching out to the city of Denver to help answer questions.

FOX31 was told one of their main concerns is how new federal laws from a new administration may possibly impact migrants. Some of those migrants met with a city organization Thursday afternoon and expressed some real concerns. 

They met at the Montbello library for a couple of hours. The immigrants who attended the meeting there asked FOX31 not to take any pictures or videos of them in the meeting. A spokesperson said there is a lot of fear and angst among them.

The informational sessions are being sponsored by Denver's Immigrant and Refugees Affairs Division and the Human Rights and Community Partnerships Office. 

FOX31 was told the immigrants have a lot of questions which began to increase after the election. Many immigrants fear new federal laws may be imposed that will impact them. 

A spokesperson also said they are asking questions about their immigration status. 

"Also there's a community feeling they might be a target for any attacks or unwelcome language that a narrative that might impact them and their livelihood," Denver Human Rights and Community Partnerships Public Information Officer Heidi Rodriguez said.

Community organizers say there is also a lot of misinformation regarding what may happen to immigrants.

The city said it wants immigrants to know that Denver will continue to be a welcoming city regardless of a person's immigration status. In a letter sent to community groups, the agency said it wanted to make sure it was clear that Denver would not engage in immigration enforcement. 

Denver said it will hold two more informational meetings at two different locations on Friday.