Denver Braces for Unrest As Police Face Major Budget Cuts
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s newly proposed police budget cuts come at a dangerous time as violent riots continue to rage across Los Angeles in response to federal immigration enforcement. The Mayor’s plan to slash police funding by 20% comes precisely when the city needs to support local law enforcement most, as violent protests in California threaten to spread to Colorado.
The weekend riots in Los Angeles have shocked the nation with their intensity and destruction. What began as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations on Friday quickly devolved into widespread violence, with demonstrators setting fire to vehicles, throwing concrete blocks and Molotov cocktails at police, and engaging in extensive vandalism and looting throughout downtown LA. The violence has been so severe that President Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to restore order, marking the first time in 60 years a president has federalized a state’s National Guard without gubernatorial approval.
Denver’s status as a sanctuary city makes it a prime candidate for federal immigration operations. The city has spent over $356 million on migrant services since 2022, housing approximately 45,000 illegal migrants. Denver explicitly prohibits city employees from using “any city funds or resources to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” creating the same conflict with federal law that sparked violence and looting in Los Angeles.
Denver’s Mayor Johnston has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to resist federal immigration enforcement, telling local media he would rather go to jail than cooperate with deportation efforts and threatening to station Denver police “at the county line” to block federal agents in what he called a potential “Tiananmen Square moment.” Such inflammatory words from Denver’s Mayor could easily escalate tensions when increased federal immigration operations begin in Denver.
Denver’s police force is ill-equipped to handle potential civil unrest, making the timing of additional budget cuts especially concerning. The department has struggled with recruitment, falling far short of Mayor Johnston’s goal to add 167 new officers in 2024, with only 55 hired. As of March 2024, the department had 1,515 officers against an authorized maximum of 1,639, leaving significant staffing gaps in the police force. With violent crime rates historically high in Denver - the city needs more officers, not fewer.
The scale of Denver’s budget crisis extends beyond public safety, with nearly all city departments facing drastic cuts starting in July when the city’s fiscal year 2026 begins. Mayor Johnston’s administration is implementing a widespread reduction of city services, with all departments bracing for significant cuts. The city’s budget has become fiscally unsustainable, with expenses growing by 83% over the last 12 years while revenues have increased by only 75%.
This imbalance has left Denver facing a $50 million deficit in 2025 and a projected $200 million shortfall for 2026. All 27 city departments have been ordered to prepare for significant reductions. These cuts come as the city continues to redirect resources to migrant services, having spent $76.2 million on immigration-related and homeless programs in 2024.
Denver has implemented immediate cost-cutting measures, including a hiring freeze that began in May, tiered furloughs starting June 1, and the potential elimination of hundreds of city positions. With the city’s workforce having grown from 10,000 to 15,000 employees over recent years and personnel costs representing 70% of the city’s expenses, these widespread cuts will drastically diminish Denver’s ability to serve its citizens.
The federal government has already filed lawsuits against Denver and Colorado for their sanctuary policies, arguing they violate the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. The Trump administration has made clear it will pursue “all necessary legal remedies and enforcement” against non-compliant sanctuary jurisdictions. This legal pressure, combined with the potential loss of federal funding, creates additional monetary strain on a city already facing considerable budget challenges.
Denver finds itself in a precarious position as violent immigration protests are expected to spread across the country this summer. The combination of sanctuary city policies, inflammatory rhetoric from city leaders, and an understaffed police department creates conditions ripe for the kind of civil unrest currently plaguing Los Angeles.
Mayor Johnston’s reckless overspending on illegal immigrants and homelessness has devastated Denver, forcing a $55 million cut to the police budget at the worst possible time. With crime soaring, police understaffed, and anti-Trump riots looming, his sanctuary city policies and dangerous rhetoric are a recipe for disaster.
Denver’s citizens deserve better—they’re left defenseless while Johnston plays politics with their safety. It’s time to demand accountability and restore law and order before the city descends into chaos.
