This City in West Texas is Running Out of Space Holding Migrants

Migrants under a bridge in El PasoPhoto byTwitter

Mayor Oscar Leeser refused to declare a State of Emergency when migrants were coming across the border a few months ago. Now he may have a change of mind as Title 42 is ending in a few weeks from now.

In November, according to KTSM News, the U.S. Border Patrol released 1,348 migrants onto city streets in El Paso. The city has literally run out of places to house them.

One migrant named Jader Alexander said after he was released by Border Patrol:

“I feel lost here, it’s the first time I get here, and I don’t know where they are going to leave me or drop me off.”

Migrants were entering the city legally and illegally as some were crawling up through manholes in Durango, which is part of El Paso.

The New York Post shared a comment from City Manager Tommy Gonzalez to Mayor Leeser:

“A declaration of a state of emergency would place us in a better position so that we don’t have to absorb as much of the costs as the influx continues.”

El Paso was seeing up to 1,000 migrants a day crossing the border two months ago in October.

City Council Woman Claudia Rodriguez added:

“If we don’t declare [an emergency] or if the mayor doesn’t declare, I don’t see anyway around it, unless the federal government comes in and opens up their own shelter at Fort Bliss or something.”

Then with Title 42 ending on December 21, migrants will be legally allowed to cross the Texas-Mexican border again. U.S. Federal Judge Emmett Sullivan gave President Joe Biden five weeks to plan and prepare for this.

Other than possibly housing migrants on Fort Bliss, I haven’t read much from this administration. Biden needs to come up with a plan to help southern states and governors.

Some U.S. Senators were working on the border crisis but their efforts are not going very far.

The City of El Paso may end up busing migrants again to sanctuary cities such as New York City and Chicago like they did before. Those cities were already having their own issues managing the influx of migrants.

What do you think El Paso should do about migrants?