DENVER — An immigrant encampment that has been operating "under the radar" for weeks will soon have to shut down.
The camp, which is located in northeast Denver, is currently home to around 70 adults and 30 children who are new to the country. It features a makeshift kitchen and portable restrooms.
Arthur Infante with the nonprofit All Souls Denver said immigrants have been forced to move from place to place due to the city's encampment sweeps. In order to prevent that, they've kept the camp "under the radar" for about a month.
"And again, we'll just try and keep it as quiet as possible that way we can house these people. Otherwise just moving — we've set up camp before and had to move the next day. We've done that twice. And it's extremely, it's a lot of work," said Infante.
Over the past week, the camp has tripled in size from 10 tents to 30 tents, according to the nonprofit. Residents told Denver7 the increase is a result of the city's new shelter rules.
In April, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced that the city would be reducing the amount of time new immigrants can stay in short-term city shelters. Previously, immigrants were allowed to stay in shelters from 14 to 42 days, depending on if they had children. Now, immigrants are only given 24 to 72 hours in shelters.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, there are 24 immigrants in short-term shelters and 688 in hotel shelters, according to the city.
"The city needs to do something. We are beyond crisis mode," said Rachel Handler with All Souls Denver. "It's so beyond crisis."
All Souls Denver is advocating for safe, sanctioned camping sites for immigrants.
"The city is telling people to go elsewhere, and people have nowhere else to go. They're given bus tickets and told to leave the city. They're getting kicked out of apartments," said Handler. "We need safe camping. And we need food. We need resources."
Rosbely Sira and her family have been living at the encampment for about a month after they fell on hard times and were evicted from their apartment. They found the apartment with help from another nonprofit.
“You feel bad after having stability to have to come back to the same thing. It’s hard," Sira told Denver7 in Spanish.
Residents of the camp said they were notified Monday by Union Pacific police that they were on private property and would have to leave. In a statement, Mike Jaixen, senior manager of communications for Union Pacific, said the railroad area is not a safe or legal place to live. The company is asking people to leave the property as soon as possible in order to avoid "further action."
While Denver7 crews were at the site on Wednesday, Denver police officers arrived and passed out resource fliers to families. People at the encampment have not been given a date for when they need to vacate the property.
Infante said the future for these immigrants is currently uncertain.
"We can't be shuttling these people constantly. Their main concern is like, they ask us like, "Where are we gonna go next?" So when you don't have an answer, it's like heartbreaking."
When asked about the encampment, Jon Ewing with Denver Human Services said the city is unable to help when encampments are kept under wraps.
"Performing outreach and sharing available resources is pivotal to our ability to assist individuals experiencing homelessness. When we are not aware of an encampment, or where it is located, it is all but impossible for us to help," Ewing said in an email.
He said the city "will be conducting outreach with every single person in this encampment to let them know that shelter and case management is available."
When asked about the shortened shelter time, Ewing said most immigrants opt to travel to another city after their time has expired.
"Most people arriving in our shelter system are immediately opting to travel to another city where they may connect with family, friends and available support networks. It is crucial that every single person staying in an encampment know there are other options available to them. We do not believe these individuals walked thousands of miles to our country because they wish to sleep outdoors. Through working with the city, individuals and families can receive additional support and resources to carve a better path for themselves," Ewing said.
All Souls Denver said it is in need of donations, including food, tarps, tents, sleeping bags, heaters and personal hygiene items. Donations can be dropped off at the All Souls Outreach & Resource Center, located at 2852 Welton Street in Denver.
