Mayor Mike Johnston announced Thursday he appointed Sarah Plastino to the newly created — and highly anticipated — director of the city’s Newcomer Program, in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by tens of thousands of immigrants coming to Colorado’s most populous city.

The Newcomer Program is within the Denver Department of Human Services, which has been managing the humanitarian response since the city lifted its emergency declarations last year.

A mayor’s spokesperson said Thursday Plastino’s salary is $175,000.

Jon Ewing, a Denver Human Services spokesperson, said he anticipated that Plastino would start her new position later this month.

“As our city continues to find solutions to a humanitarian crisis, Sara’s leadership will guide a proactive approach to support new arrivals with the resources they need to success,” Johnston said in a statement. “Denver is a city built on diversity and inclusion, and Sarah joins our commitment to ensure all people, regardless of their background, have an opportunity to thrive.”

In her role, Plastino is expected to prioritize the city’s short and long-term response to the new arrivals coming from the southern border with Mexico. She will also work on integrating these newcomers by collaborating with various city departments and community organizations.

That’s no easy task.

The reason?

Most arriving after July 31, do not have work authorization.

In September, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas granted temporary protected status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who had arrived in country as of July 31. The step made it easier to obtain work authorization, a key demand of Democratic mayors and governors — including Johnston and Gov. Jared Polis — struggling to care for influx of immigrants in their care.

The challenge for Denver is that more than 20,000 immigrants have arrived since July 31, city data shows.

Over the past 14 months, the city has welcomed more than 38,500 immigrants — mostly from South and Central America — at a staggering cost: more than $42 million.

Denver taxpayers are shouldering most of that cost.

To date, the city has been awarded roughly $14.1 million in state and federal funding.

Anticipating a budget shortfall of up to $180 million this year, Johnston has called on city departments to find at least 10% in cuts.

“I am so thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the remarkable effort underway to meet the basic human needs of newcomers in Denver,” Plastino said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Mayor Johnston to strengthen the city’s ability to welcome newcomers in a way that is both safe and sustainable.”

Originally from Philadelphia, Plastino, is a human rights attorney who has previously lived on the U.S.-Mexico border and worked at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, providing free legal representation to low-income immigrants facing deportation in the Aurora Immigration and Customs Enforcement Center.

In 2021, Plastino started her own consulting firm offering policy expertise to immigrant rights organizations, according to the mayor’s office.

Last year, she was recognized by the Colorado LGBT Chamber of Commerce as one of 40 business leaders under the age of 40.