I’m here to talk a little bit about the devastating impact of the failure of Republican leadership in Congress this week to pass regime change, and the impact that will have on both city budgets and on services that we can provide for newcomers in the city … we will start to have to greenlight a set of hard decisions on budget reductions across the city to meet those costs that we know will continue to arrive.

Today is the day that residents of Denver should be heartbroken and they should be furious because we know we have a humanitarian crisis in this city trying to welcome newcomers to build a new life … We actually had a bipartisan Senate deal that would have addressed the needs that we have …[Trump] intervened with House Republican leadership to kill that bill just so this crisis would continue just because he thinks he has a better chance of reelection.

Imagine that, folks, an elected official who has taken the oath of office to protect and serve this country, who intentionally damages the country and hurts cities like ours for their own political gain. … It would be like George Bush after 9/11 saying, “Maybe I’ll stand down security so we get one more terrorist attack that would then increase my chances of reelection.”

That kind of cynicism, that kind of mean-spirited intent to make Americans suffer and to make cities struggle, should disqualify you from ever seeking office in this country … If you want a government that serves our cities and our people [including migrants], we have to pay attention to folks that refuse to do that. And we have to remember when it comes time to vote, I know I will. I hope you do the same.

The American people are going to know why it fails. I’ll be taking this issue to the country … Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends.