For the Spanish version of this article, click here/Lee aquí la traducción de Daianee
At the intersection of Alameda Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood, a group of eight Venezuelan men and women start their day at 8 a.m. With a bottle of soapy water and a squeegee in hand, the migrants run around stalled traffic offering to clean windshields for little compensation, all part of their struggle to survive. They work seven days a week making about $70 a day approaching cars.
Ever Molina, who has been living in Denver for a couple of months, said he wipes down windshields in hopes of making money for his family.
“We as adults understand the situation we are going through but children don’t, so it’s our priority to take them food because they don’t understand,” Molina said.
As the traffic lights turn red, a new set of cars come to a halt. The group of migrants faces diverse encounters each time. Most of the time they are met with kindhearted people who bring them food and help with a few dollars, but occasionally they encounter those who are more hostile. One of the group’s most frightening encounters happened this past week when a man pulled out a gun as they approached his vehicle. The Lakewood Police Department was called by another driver close by, however, the man was nowhere to be found.
“Wherever you go there are going to be good people and bad people,” Molina said. “Some will treat us better than others but it’s all good, we keep going.”
The group has had other encounters with the Lakewood Police Department, which has repeatedly given them warnings and citations for being out on the road and not following safety guidelines. Molina said he was cited a few weeks ago and is due in court June 6. He’s unsure what will happen at this hearing but plans to attend.
“The police said it’s not illegal to clean windshields, but we can’t be out on the road when the traffic is moving, that is why we get kicked out or cited,” Molina said.
The Alameda and Wadsworth group is just one of dozens around the city at major intersections. Another group is at the Federal and Speer intersection. The squeegee workers approach each car with a smile, often drawing hearts on drivers’ windshields. Even when drivers refuse or don’t have cash to pay them, the workers still wipe down their windows hoping the driver will tip the next time. Although this subsistence strategy has been fairly uncommon in Denver until now, folks on the East Coast in cities like Baltimore have experienced it since the ‘80s. As innocuous as it may seem, many Denverites have expressed fear for their safety and that of the migrants, taking to the Denver subreddit to voice their frustrations.
“They tried me just once – and I damn sure hope they won’t do it again because they scared the hell out of my 7-year-old son in the back seat when they tried to draw something on his window,” wrote user Ornery_Razzmatazz_33. “Hoping the [Denver Police Department] does something about them soon because they are a traffic hazard…Won’t be long before one of them does it to the wrong car, especially after being warned off, and is assaulted/shot/stabbed.”
In April, the city shut down all but one of its remaining migrant shelters, leaving many of the newcomers to fend for themselves. The surge in squeegee workers over the past several months indicates migrants’ desperation to find quality jobs amidst work authorization and housing obstacles. Despite the threats of violence and citations, squeegee workers like Jaylan Blanco continue. She said she’s unafraid of running into oncoming traffic and will do what it takes to make money to survive.
“People who have a necessity are not scared of anything,” Blanco said. “Especially if you live in a country like this one, where you must pay for everything. What are we to do if we don’t work? We will have nothing, so we must find work.”
Although Denver has shut down most of its migrant shelters as the population of newcomers has dropped, the city continues to support the community. The city is still sheltering 555 people through a mix of congregate and non-congregate sites and has created the Denver Asylum Seekers program, which provides free legal services to aid with asylum applications and rental and food assistance for six months. The program is limited and requires newcomers to have been in the city’s shelter system as of April 2024.
For newcomers who arrived after April 2024 and are ineligible for the Asylum Seekers Program, the Newcomer Program will continue to offer shelter, free clinics to assist with work permit applications and up to $4,500 of rental assistance for families. They will be placed on a waiting list for the Asylum Seekers Program as spots open.
“At the Denver reception sites, we have navigators who help newcomers make a plan and identify resources,” said Sarah Plastino, the Newcomer Program director, in an interview with High Country News. “In the event that folks do remain in Denver, we allow them 24 to 72 hours in shelters to figure out their plans or to accomplish specific things like reuniting with family, getting medical care, or complying with an immigration directive.”
The group hasn’t had much luck finding other work and although some have their work authorization, neither individuals nor businesses will hire them. Along with Molina, Wilfredo Crespo has had a difficult time finding work elsewhere. They both have filled out numerous applications but have not received any callbacks or interviews.
“We’ve tried,” Crespo said. “We’ve gone to so many places, talked to so many people but they give us excuses or simply say there is no work there.”
The squeegee workers plan to continue cleaning windshields together until they can all find better jobs with better pay. They are all enthusiastic about the future and each looks forward to making friends, exploring the city and building a home. But before they can do any of that they would like to find secure jobs. For now, they will stick together and help each other out.
“Where there is unity there is strength,” Molina said. “We are all family, and we need help. We are living on the streets in tents, and honestly going through a very hard time.”