Colorado Mayor Mike Johnston warned that without federal intervention, it could cost the sanctuary city of Denver $180 million to care for the recent influx of immigrants.

Johnson, who is in Washington attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said his visit also included a meeting with President Joe Biden. The Democratic mayor said over 36,000 immigrants have arrived in his city since December 2022.

“There are heartbreaking stories every day, but we also know without federal support and without federal action, the impact on a city like Denver, this would be $180 million impact on our budget in 2024,” Johnston told MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balart Reports Friday. “That’s more than 10% of our entire city budget.”

Denver is determined to house immigrant women and children so that they are not left in the street, especially during Colorado’s harsh winter. The weather also calls for winter clothing, which the city provides for immigrants who arrive often in T-shirts and sandals, Johnston said.

Mayors at the conference Friday called for work authorization, federal money, and an upgraded plan of entry for asylum-seekers from the U.S. Senate and the president.

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“It seems clear there will be a bipartisan deal in the Senate that will support these kind of common sense solutions,” Johnston said. “We know that will get passed through a Republican-controlled house. I’m sure President (Donald) Trump will push that House leadership not to pass that, but I think the question here is: Do we want to do something that will fundamentally address and solve a humanitarian crisis this country is facing, a fiscal crisis our cities will be facing, or do we want to intentionally destroy that effort just to try to play politics in an election year? I’m hopeful we’ll see better angels of people’s natures prevail and try to get to a solution that will have bipartisan support.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection processed more than 302,000 people at the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2023 alone. That is in addition to the over 10 million immigrants who have reportedly entered the country illegally since Biden took office. It is the most recorded in that amount of time of any administration.