El Paso is currently the busiest arrival point for unauthorized migration, with an average of 2,460 migrants arriving each day. Also, the El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser says shelters in Juarez are full and believes that 20,000 migrants there are waiting to cross into El Paso. The city has made efforts to prepare for the influx, including setting up shelters to accommodate up to 10,000 migrants, but unfortunately it is simply impossible to manage the huge surge. The result is thousands stuck outside as the temperatures drop to freezing. In response, Mayor Oscar Leeser issued an emergency declaration on December 17, and has extended the declaration on December 24 to stay in effect for the next 30 days. 

Through this declaration, the city has announced it will create an emergency operations center and implement emergency plans to protect the health, safety and welfare of the migrants and the community. The declaration also allows the city to make requests to the state for additional staffing to feed and house migrants, as well as request additional law enforcement and transportation to bus migrants to other parts of the country. To be clear, El Paso’s approach to busing migrants stands, once again, in stark comparison to Governor Greg Abbot’s approach. Abbot has bused migrants to Democratic-run cities with little to no warning, while El Paso has coordinated with organizations to ensure migrants are safely welcomed. 

However, the aid that El Paso has provided encompasses solely those that have applied for asylum.  Hundreds of immigrants are unable to qualify for the city-run shelters without turning themselves over to the CBP to receive immigration paperwork. For many, this is simply not an option, especially with Title 42 still in effect. While some NGOs and churches have allowed those without paperwork to seek shelter, these are currently overcrowded.