EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Hundreds of migrants can be seen outside of Sacred Heart Church and the Opportunity Center for the Homeless. However, Border Patrol says provisional releases or street releases are not happening at this time.
“El Paso Sector processes every migrant that comes into our custody and continues to work closely with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) for detention space; with Non-Government Organizations (NGO) and the County of El Paso to assist us with decompression efforts of our processing facilities. El Paso Sector transports processed migrants to these facilities when operationally feasible. However, provisional releases are not being conducted at this time.”
Border Patrol El Paso Sector
A migrant from Venezuela staying outside of Sacred Heart Church telling KTSM 9 News how it was for him to cross the border.
“We were fixed on crossing and reaching our destiny so we jumped over the fence and we hid by a cemetery and we waited there until 4 or 5 a.m. until somebody could pick us up and bring us here (Sacred Heart Church),” said Braulio Ramirez.
A similar situation like the one at Sacred Heart Church can be seen outside of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless where hundreds of migrants are outside and shelter officials say they are at capacity inside.
Annunciation House a NGO that has multiple migrants shelters says all beds at all of their locations have been filled.
Tim Perea the Pastor of New Life Faith Center says he has been partnering with Sacred Heart Church to help with the hundreds of migrants, saying on Thursday afternoon that there were 400 to 500 outside.
Perea concerned that there could soon be many more migrants outside if they are not given some direction.
“Basically, nobody guides them to where they need to be. They’re going to have more people like we had back in November, December I’m thinking anywhere from 900, to a 1,000 people we had in that time,” said Timothy Perea the Pastor of New Life Faith Center.
Title 42 is set to be lifted on May 11, which is two weeks away. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar speaking with us about the migrants seen sleeping out on the streets of El Paso. Also saying that the migrants need guidance on where to go.
“Migrants who do have status need to be informed that no one is going to come in and essentially pay for their travel, so they need to be provided with very specific information,” said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar.
Congressman Tony Gonzales also talking about the surge of migrants ahead of Title 42 being lifted.
“You just need to enforce the laws that are already on the books if somebody comes over illegally and they do not qualify for asylum they get sent back to their country of origin, they don’t get sent back to Mexico to try and try again,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales.
On Thursday the Biden Administration announced that planned to open migrant processing centers in Guatemala and Columbia to slow the surge of migrants heading to the United States.
The Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas saying that the border will not be open come May 11.
