Current:Home > NewsDenver motel owner housing and feeding migrants for free as long as she can-LoTradeCoin
Denver motel owner housing and feeding migrants for free as long as she can
View Date:2024-12-23 21:12:26
Yong Prince wakes up early every morning to make breakfast for the hundreds of people staying in her packed Denver motel. But this motel is unique — the rooms are free and the guests are all migrants, mainly from Venezuela.
The motel is closed to the typical paying customer, but there are still no vacancies. Residents told CBS News there are sometimes eight people per room. Sometimes a dozen, and during the busiest times, more than 25 people per room.
Carlos, a 25-year-old migrant, lives in a room with more than a dozen other people, including his wife. He has worked occasionally as a roofer, but when he can't find work he washes windshields for tips.
"I'd rather work hard outside," he told CBS News in Spanish, noting that with his cleaning tools, "I can at least make money."
As in Chicago and New York, the influx of migrants is straining Denver's resources. The Mile High City expects to spend $180 million in 2024 on migrants, forcing city officials to make tough decisions on cuts in other areas.
"We will start to have to greenlight a set of hard decisions about budget reductions," Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said.
Prince has received some help and donations, but she said she's spent more than $300,000 of her own money since October. The 73-year-old daughter of North Korean immigrants, whose husband and son both recently died, said she feels helping these asylum seekers is her mission.
It's a mission that's also helping her get over the loss of her son.
But time is running out. Prince sold the property, and everyone has to leave by the end of the week. She said she'd like to lease another property though, and help the migrants as long as she can.
- In:
- Immigration
Omar Villafranca is a CBS News correspondent based in Dallas.
TwitterveryGood! (23)
Related
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- Ole Miss football lands top player in transfer portal, former Texas A&M defensive lineman
- First child flu death of season reported in Louisiana
- Cuban government defends plans to either cut rations or increase prices
- Let Demi Moore’s Iconic Fashion Give You More Inspiration
- Trevor Siemian set to become fourth quarterback to start for New York Jets this season
- Nevada tribe says coalitions, not lawsuits, will protect sacred sites as US advances energy agenda
- Why the Grisly Murder of Laci Peterson Is Still So Haunting
- Does your dog have arthritis? A lot of them do. But treatment can be tricky
- Anger in remote parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir after 3 are killed while in army custody
Ranking
- Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
- Iowa won’t participate in US food assistance program for kids this summer
- Founding Dixie Chicks member Laura Lynch killed in car crash in Texas
- Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. out Sunday with brain injury after developing new symptoms
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom will spend part of week in DC as he tries to Trump-proof state policies
- Georgia judge rules against media company in police records lawsuits
- How to refresh your online dating profile for 2024, according to a professional matchmaker
- Inmate dies after he was found unresponsive at highly scrutinized West Virginia jail
Recommendation
-
What Just Happened to the Idea of Progress?
-
Never Back Down, pro-DeSantis super PAC, cancels $2.5 million in 2024 TV advertising as new group takes over
-
Tampa settles lawsuit with feds over parental leave for male workers
-
Notre Dame football grabs veteran offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock away from LSU
-
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's Son Moses Martin Reveals His Singing Talents at Concert
-
Panthers' Ryan Lomberg has one-punch knockdown of Golden Knights' Keegan Kolesar
-
British Teen Alex Batty Breaks His Silence After Disappearing for 6 Years
-
Amazon Influencers Share the Fashion Trends They’ll Be Rocking This New Year’s Eve