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Migrants in Colorado see snow for the first time

Migrants in Colorado see snow for the first time
Migrants in Colorado see snow for the first time 02:30

It's a dream many people first arriving in Colorado have - seeing snow for the first time.

Migrants like Diosvany were in awe on Wednesday, after seeing several inches of snow fill Denver streets outside of the city shelter he's been staying at. Diosvany did not provide his last name.

"It was something very impressionable because it was my first time seeing snow in real life," he said. "I would see it on TV and in movies. I felt very emotional because all my life I wanted to see how snow falls, and in my country of Cuba, we don't get snow."

Diosvany has only been in Denver for three days. He got sent to Colorado from El Paso. He says he left Cuba because of the communist regime.

"Everything looks so beautiful: the trees, the houses, the cars covered in so much snow," he said.

A first snow, also turned into a first job opportunity for some.

Felipe and other migrants went around a Denver neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, asking to shovel snow to make a few bucks. A woman in the area posted on a neighborhood social media page, telling the community that some migrants like Felipe were looking for temporary work. Felipe also chose not to provide his last name.

"Obviously, we don't have many a lot of resources, and while they help us out with a lot here, we have to find a way to make a living and work," Felipe said.

As of Jan. 18, nearly 4,400 migrants have arrived in the city, but with the recently-imposed 14-day shelter limit many are looking into next steps. Diosvany hopes to eventually make his way to Florida or New York to reunite with a cousin. Him chasing his American dream has also led to the fulfillment of another; a beautiful Colorado snow.

"I want to work. I want to get ahead, help my family, and one day bring my daughter here, so she can see the snow, and feel as free as I do," said Diosvany.

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