El Paso, a city in the state of Texas, is grappling with an overwhelming surge in migrants and refugees crossing the United States border from Mexico.
This surge has pushed the city’s resources to a breaking point and has left President Joe Biden’s administration scrambling to manage the influx.
According to officials, nearly 9,000 people crossed the border on a single Saturday, marking one of the highest rates of arrivals in recent months.
Mayor Oscar Leeser of El Paso reported that over 2,000 people per day are seeking asylum in the city, a significant increase from the 350-400 daily arrivals just six weeks ago. This influx has strained local resources and filled up shelters.
“The city of El Paso only has so many resources and we have come to … a breaking point right now,” Leeser told a news conference.
In response to the crisis, El Paso has worked alongside the U.S. Border Patrol to provide shelter for approximately 6,500 people over the past 10 days, said Mayor Leeser during a press conference. However, he emphasized that the city’s resources are limited, and they have reached a breaking point.
The asylum seekers primarily come from countries like Venezuela, Honduras, and Haiti and are part of a larger wave of migrants who have embarked on perilous journeys via buses and cargo trains to reach Mexican border towns near cities like El Paso, Eagle Pass in Texas, and San Diego in California.
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These migrants are often searching for better opportunities and escaping hunger, violence, or political instability in their home countries.
While the number of people seeking asylum in the United States had decreased in recent months due to new restrictions announced in May, the recent surge has once again put the Biden administration on the defensive. Eagle Pass has declared a state of emergency to address the influx, and Democratic mayors and governors are seeking more support for hosting asylum seekers, while Republicans are making the issue a focal point in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Mayor Leeser revealed that El Paso plans to open a new shelter to accommodate the growing number of arrivals. Furthermore, five buses were chartered on Saturday to transport asylum seekers to cities like New York, Chicago, and Denver.
Notably, some Republican governors in Texas and Florida have faced criticism for sending migrants to cities seen as more liberal, such as New York and Sacramento. However, Mayor Leeser clarified that all migrants on El Paso buses were going voluntarily to their chosen cities.
While Mayor Leeser praised President Biden as a good partner, he also highlighted that the overall U.S. immigration system is broken. He pointed out that many Venezuelan migrants lacked transportation to their intended destinations, and El Paso’s shelters, which house only 400 people, must also assist the homeless.
The majority of those crossing into El Paso are currently single men (about two-thirds), with around 32 percent being families and 2 percent unaccompanied children. Mayor Leeser emphasized the need for comprehensive immigration reform, stating, “It’s the same thing over and over again.”
To address escalating tensions, the Biden administration has deployed 800 troops to the border, in addition to the 2,500 National Guard members already stationed there. The administration is also implementing special programs to process asylum and visa requests in migrants’ home countries, with consequences for those who do not follow the rules, including deportations and expulsions.
Further, the administration recently extended temporary legal status to approximately 472,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. as of July 31, making it easier for them to work in the country.
In a meeting between U.S. Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Honduran President Xiomara Castro in McAllen, Texas, on Saturday, both leaders discussed a bilateral strategy to address migration.
Mayorkas pledged to crack down on individuals who do not use designated pathways to enter the U.S., emphasizing the importance of disrupting smuggling networks.
President Castro attributed the outflow of people from Honduras to violence perpetrated by criminal organizations, highlighting the unprecedented exodus of entire families seeking opportunities due to heightened levels of violence.
In response to the situation, U.S. authorities have fortified the border with barbed wire in Eagle Pass, Texas, which declared a state of emergency.
A military convoy was observed reinforcing the fence on Saturday, attempting to deter crossings. However, many asylum seekers, who have endured grueling journeys on foot, including crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama, found ways to bypass the fence by burrowing under the sand or squeezing through small openings, often with soldiers watching.
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