Councilor Supports Taxpayer Funds for Migrants
Councilor Supports Taxpayer Funds for Migrants Recent comments by Isabel Cruz show that Lakewood Council may still support using taxpayer dollars for migrant housing. Lakewood Councilor Isabel Cruz is a Policy Director for the non-profit Colorado Consumer Health Initiative. As a spokesperson for the Initiative [not Lakewood], Cruz defended Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants saying, “…providing coverage to undocumented immigrants benefits everyone and keeps costs down.” She made several additional comments in a Denver 7 article titled “Feds investigate Colorado’s spending on health care for undocumented immigrants” According to the article, she said, ““When we help cover people, we help stabilize our health care system and our safety net health care providers, and we also make sure that we keep costs down for everyone,” said Cruz.” The same sentiment could be applied to housing, where Cruz is currently voting on new policies for “affordable housing” through Lakewood’s zoning code. Cruz’s statements were not made regarding official Lakewood policy. However, this is the same mentality displayed over and over again by Council Members and staff when migrant support comes up – all programs in Lakewood are open to migrants. This question is key to understanding why Lakewood is changing zoning and adopting radical housing strategies that have not been implemented citywide anywhere in Colorado. Lakewood leadership is aggressively pursuing funding support for homeless – including migrants. Colorado Engaged has previously explained how Colorado Prop 123 funding “reallocates TABOR refunds to support government-managed, taxpayer-subsidized housing and homelessness initiatives.” The plans for migrants in Lakewood has been shrouded in mystery. Lakewood says they are not a sanctuary city but they act like one by: Lakewood does not coordinate with ICE Lakewood already “lessens deportation fears” to encourage migrants to live in Lakewood in a policy buried in the Strategic Housing Plan, rather than a standalone policy Council has made clear that Lakewood will not ask for identification to receive shelter or services Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom supported new migrants becoming “proud workers and residents of Colorado” by approving a letter from the Metro Mayors Caucusthat the city charged an outrageous fee to obtain. Council voted in January 2024 to “be a good neighbor.” Councilor Cruz has not returned a request for comment. Like many others, she has an automatic response saying, in part: “If your email requires a personal response, I will do my best to reply promptly but if you don’t hear from me, please feel free to reach back out. Since council is designed as a part-time job and most of us have additional full-time jobs to support ourselves and our families, I appreciate your patience in advance with my response.”
