During the City Council meeting on Monday, two immigrants shared their experience of being harassed while using hotel vouchers for shelter in Denver.
Leivy Ortega and Henry Aguilar, speaking through an interpreter, shared their experience of receiving hotel stay vouchers from an unnamed non-profit organization, but encountered issues when trying to use them. Ortega, who traveled from Connecticut to Denver, had to live in her car for 15 days. She mentioned receiving a three-day hotel voucher, but faced difficulties when trying to redeem it. Although she did not disclose the name of the hotel, she revealed that the hotel staff initially refused to honor the voucher. Despite showing her paperwork, she was asked to pay for the room. Additionally, she mentioned that the hotel staff were not going to allow her to stay as she had a service animal.
When Ortega and her family arrived at the hotel, they were not the only ones to be denied a room. Another family was also turned away because they did not have certain immigration documents. Ortega’s husband felt sympathy for the family and offered them some chicken through the window of their vehicle. However, the hotel management began to harass him for interacting with the other family.
To Denver from Venezuela via New York
According to Henry Aguilar, he made his way to Denver from Venezuela with a brief stopover in New York. He shared that he faced discrimination even during his time in New York. Additionally, Aguilar has a service dog, and he recounted an instance where he was mistreated by hotel security in Denver. Although he did not disclose the name of the hotel, Aguilar mentioned that he is striving to support his pregnant wife and 11-year-old son.
Expressing his satisfaction towards the hotel’s cameras that captured the incident, he further added that the hotel has gone overboard in discriminating against immigrant guests.
He expressed gratitude towards the council and said, “I appreciate your support. We all have our imperfections and struggles.” He mentioned that he possesses a work permit but finding permanent employment has been a challenging task.
During public comment time, the council does not respond to any remarks made.