Colorado Gov. Jared Polis faces backlash for cringy ‘Feliz Navidad’ rendition as migrant crisis surges
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is drawing harsh criticism for his “Feliz Navidad” holiday message as the state struggles for resources while battling a significant immigration crisis, just days after Denver received 16 busloads of migrants.
Polis, 48, was seen dancing joyfully as he delivered an a cappella rendition of Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano’s hit 1970 song on Monday.
The lawmaker posted the video for his social media followers under his official Spanish X account, where some viewers blasted the cringeworthy clip, later sharing it across his multiple official platforms.
“As cringe as this is, it doesn’t begin to compare to the damage you’ve done to this state,” one X user commented under the governor’s posts.
“This is one of the worst things I have seen all year. Who walked into your office and said that this was a good idea…?,” another questioned.
“Even the Latinxs are cringing,” one user quipped.
Some even insinuated that Polis was “pandering” to the growing Latino community in the state.
“This is ridiculous and you look as uncomfortable doing it as I did watching it. What was the real purpose of this?” one user wrote in Spanish under the video. “Because if I were of Latin descent, I would make fun of you instead of thinking, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to vote for that guy.’”
“It’s cultural appropriation to pander in this manner,” another commented.
The governor’s questionable dance moves and off-pitch singing come in the wake of at least 340 migrants being dropped off in Denver in less than 24 hours between Thursday night and Friday morning, according to CBS News.
Many migrants arrived from Texas after traveling from Venezuela, Colombia and Guatemala.
Over 3,800 migrants are in several shelters around the city following the mass drop-off last week, the outlet reported.
As more migrants are being moved to Denver, the city’s resources are becoming scarce.
“We can run out of room,” Jon Ewing, a Denver Human Services spokesman, told the outlet.
“We can run out of resources. We are already limited as it is. It strains an already strained system even further.”
As shelters scurry to find space, the city is working on finding employment for the migrants and is trying desperately to keep them off the streets, as many of them arrived with children.
“We know that everything is much more difficult with a child,” Ewing told the outlet.
“This is why we have given families more time. We don’t want children on the streets. We don’t want anyone on the streets.”
The overgrowing population of migrants flooding Colorado’s shelters and streets has begun to put a strain on community members.
“They speak bad to me,” one woman, identified only as Gerena, told the outlet after explaining it’s been difficult having them near the Shell gas station where she works.
“I am the only one that speaks Spanish. I tried to help them. I tried to explain the rules, but they don’t like it. There are too many people. They are so bad with me and with my boss.”
The small town of Carbondale, 170 miles west of Denver, has become inundated with more than 120 Venezuelan migrants seeking refuge as Mayor Ben Bohmfalk declared he didn’t want to become a “destination for people.”
Polis was elected governor in 2018 and has faced growing criticism from Coloradans about his handling of the migrant crisis.
In January, Polis said Colorado was working with nonprofits to “help migrants safely reach their desired final destination” — often New York or Chicago — after explaining that many were only passing through his state.
Denver is about 700 miles due north of El Paso on Interstate 25.
The border city has been overwhelmed by an influx of migrants since 2021.
US Customs and Border Patrol suspended cross-border rail traffic in the Texas cities of Eagle Pass and El Paso on Dec. 19 in response to migrants riding freight trains through Mexico, hopping off just before entering the US.
The number of daily arrivals is “unprecedented,” said Troy Miller, US Customs and Border Protection’s acting commissioner, adding that illegal crossings topped 10,000 some days in December.
