Governor, Denver mayor welcome dozens of new refugees to Colorado during Union Station reception
Recent refugees to the state, many with new Colorado buttons pinned to their shirts and seated near whispering Arabic and African language translators, packed a Union Station ballroom Wednesday as honored guests of Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.
The first-of-its-kind reception included about 75 refugees from Afghanistan, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic, as well as Iraq, Syria and Somalia — three of the seven predominately Muslim nations named in President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
“I don’t see a risk to our way of life or a threat or a danger,” Hickenlooper said as he looked at rows of refugees seated in front of him, including many women wearing colorful headscarves and children discovering coloring books and toy cars in the plastic baskets they received at the front door. “I see neighbors, friends, colleagues, the expanding family that really is Colorado.”
Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne called on Trump to rescind his executive order. Hickenlooper said refugees have “navigated through the world’s most stringent and toughest vetting system” and that the nation does not need “religious tests and blanket bans that contradict the basic values this country was built on.”
Read full story at The Denver Post.
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 22: Recent refugees Isatou Janko, 23, left, and her sister Fatoumatta, 25, right, talk about their recent arrival to the United States after taking part in a welcome ceremony at the Gallery at Union Station on February 22, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The sisters and other recent refugees from all over the world were welcomed to Colorado during a reception hosted by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, the Colorado Department of Human Services and others. The Janko family waited five years to be able to come to the United States. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 22: Recent refugees Isatou Janko, 23, left, and her sister Fatoumatta, 25, right, talk about their recent arrival to the United States after taking part in a welcome ceremony at the Gallery at Union Station on February 22, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The sisters and other recent refugees from all over the world were welcomed to Colorado during a reception hosted by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, the Colorado Department of Human Services and others. The Janko family waited five years to be able to come to the United States. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)