El Paso City Council renews emergency ordinances as migrant crossings increase

Adam Powell, El Paso Times
Updated ·4 min read
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The El Paso City Council voted unanimously to extend two emergency ordinances related to migrants following what El Paso city Rep. Alexsandra Annello called an "overflow" of asylum-seekers over the weekend.

Numbers provided by city Emergency Management Coordinator Jorge Rodriguez showed a slight uptick in daily apprehensions from July to August, with over 21,900 community releases last month compared to less than 9,100 in July.

However, nearly halfway through September, there have only been 2,600 community releases this month.

The emergency ordinances both declare a state of emergency in the city and allow city personnel and resources to be assigned where they are needed, such as embedded with non-government organizations (NGOs), to address the arrival of asylum-seekers.

The influx of migrants has pushed the city to open a second hotel sheltering operation while it continues looking to purchase the former Morehead Middle School building for additional support.

More: Border deaths: El Paso's deadliest summer has claimed at least 136 migrant lives

Texas National Guard troops added additional layers of concertina wire on the north embankment of the Rio Grande after a group of migrants crossed the international boundary to turn themselves into Border Patrol agents to seek asylum in the U.S. on Sept. 12, 2023. Many migrants had arrived on a train from Chihuahua City to Ciudad Juárez earlier in the day.

City has so far received $45.9 million in reimbursements

A breakdown of reimbursements from the federal government showed the city has been reimbursed nearly $46 million to address issues at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The city is still awaiting a $1.37 million reimbursement from expenses incurred between July and September of last year, with an additional $7.1 million still pending for expenses between April and June. The city is also still awaiting reimbursements from July to September of this year.

Migrants await on the north embankment of the Rio Grande to see if the Texas National Guard would allow them to turn themselves to U.S. Border Patrol on Sept. 12, 2023.
Migrants await on the north embankment of the Rio Grande to see if the Texas National Guard would allow them to turn themselves to U.S. Border Patrol on Sept. 12, 2023.

Along with the $45.9 million, Rodriguez stated that the city has until Dec. 31, 2023, to spend $25 million, which will, in part, be used to upgrade Morehead Middle as a shelter for migrant families.

The city is still in talks with El Paso Independent School District on purchasing the property, which should move forward following another public meeting later this month.

On Jan. 1, 2024, a new round of funding will come down from the federal government's Shelter and Services Program.

Additionally, the city was able to use funds to prop up a second emergency shelter operation at a hotel on Dyer Street beginning Aug. 12, 2023, which has provided temporary housing for as many as 2,600 asylum-seekers.

"We know we're going to be heavy into the hotel operations," D'Agostino said, "and until we can get that facility ... we're going to be in these kinds of (difficult) moments."

City Rep. Joe Molinar sounds the alarm over asylum-seekers in Northeast El Paso

As Rodriguez and Deputy City Manager Maro D'Agostino made their case for continued support of the emergency ordinances, El Paso city Rep. Joe Molinar raised concerns about the growing presence of migrants in Northeast El Paso, where one of the city's hotel operations is based.

Migrants wait outside of Sacred Heart Church on the morning of Sept,. 13, 2023 as police ask the migrants to allow city services to clean up the area. The migrants have been arriving in larger numbers in the last two weeks.
Migrants wait outside of Sacred Heart Church on the morning of Sept,. 13, 2023 as police ask the migrants to allow city services to clean up the area. The migrants have been arriving in larger numbers in the last two weeks.

"Some people in District 4, my constituents, are very nervous when they go out at night ... because they are approached by these people," Molinar said, noting that many asylum-seekers holed up at area hotels are often seen begging for money, clothes, food and work. "Some of them are afraid, they're really afraid of going out at night, themselves or with their families."

More: Border deaths: El Paso's deadliest summer has claimed at least 136 migrant lives

Molinar wondered if the city might consider opening a third hotel operation or find another way to remove the asylum-seekers from District 4. He likewise noted that a marked El Paso Police Department vehicle, previously a common sight at migrant housing operations, might limit interaction with asylum-seekers.

For his part, Rodriguez said the Office of Emergency Management would look into the issue.

City officials looking to avoid street releases

During Tuesday's report, D'Agostino stated that capacity at local NGOs, city-supported hotels and other migrant sheltering operations remains a problem.

The capacity issue is similar to what El Paso saw last year: a large number of migrants without sponsors in the U.S. who could help them purchase transportation out of town or receive them in communities in the interior of the country.

Migrants wait outside of Sacred Heart Church on the morning of Sept,. 13, 2023. The migrants have been arriving in larger numbers in the last two weeks.
Migrants wait outside of Sacred Heart Church on the morning of Sept,. 13, 2023. The migrants have been arriving in larger numbers in the last two weeks.

D'Agostino noted that when beds run out at NGOs, typically used for short-term sheltering, the city turns to its hotel partners. But when they run out of space, there are few options left.

Around 65 migrants were set up in the city's second hotel Monday as Customs and Border Protection saw 1,300 migrants released the same day. Leeser said there were no street releases Tuesday.

"Everything we do right now is to ensure we don't have street releases," Leeser said. "(CBP understands) our number one priority is the safety of our community."

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso City Council renews ordinances to deal with migrant increase