El Paso, Texas, declared a state of emergency on May 1 because a major pandemic-era measure is scheduled to end.
Title 42, the public health policy that was set during the pandemic allowing U.S. officials to deport immigrants seeking asylum, is set to expire on May 11.
TEXAS STATE TROOPERS DEPLOYED BY ABBOTT STOPPED 8721 HUMAN SMUGGLERS
Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser announced the emergency order in a press conference on Sunday afternoon that the city is getting prepared for “the unknown,” referring to what will happen after May 11.
“We’re starting to pick up some momentum as asylum-seekers are around the streets of downtown El Paso and other areas of our community, and we need to make sure that we continue to protect not only the asylum-seekers but also our community,” Leeser said.
The policy, which was imposed by then-President Donald Trump and carried on by President Joe Biden, was intended to limit the holding of immigrants in places COVID-19 could spread easily.
Once the policy ends, border officials will follow the country’s immigration laws created under Title 8, which includes deportation and a five-year reentry ban, without the expulsions Title 42 presented.
Border towns have already been experiencing an influx of immigrants and are facing a lack of staff and resources to handle the crisis properly.
Mayor of Yuma, Arizona, Doug Nicholls testified to the subcommittee on government operations and border management last week, saying, “The federal government needs to own the entirety of the situation, and not push it off to local governments and NGOs.”
In March, Customs and Border Protection reported 191,899 encounters with immigrants along the southwest border, a major increase from the 35,000 encounters reported in February.
On April 27, the Biden administration announced plans to create immigration processing centers throughout Latin America to curb the flood of immigrants coming to the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas revealed their approach to immigrant issues from the White House on Sunday.
“These centers will take a hugely important step to prevent people from making the dangerous journey to the border by providing a much safer legal option to migrate that they can pursue in and from their own countries,” Blinken said. “It’s a new and innovative approach that does right by people who want to migrate and that enhances security and stability in the region.”
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Immigrants have been setting up camp on the sidewalk and outside of homeless shelters in the weeks leading up to the end of Title 42. Hundreds of immigrants are positioning themselves around Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Downtown and at the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in the Magoffin district, according to the El Paso Times.
“We’re not opening the borders,” Leeser said in the press conference. “The borders are not open today, and they will not be opened on May 12.”
