El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to the surge of migrants at the Mexico border who recently arrived in the community, saying that they are living in unsafe conditions.
Leeser, from Texas, previously declined to issue a state of emergency but has now said that "hundreds" of migrants were on the streets in unsafe conditions. The situation comes as temperatures are beginning to get colder and things could get worse after lawmakers lift a Trump-era border policy on Wednesday.
El Paso State of Emergency
Federal officials expect the lifting of the policy to lead to an increase in migrant arrivals at the border. In a statement during a news conference, the El Paso mayor said that they expect the Wednesday influx to be "incredible."
Leeser later added that some officials have estimated that the number of arriving migrants could more than double after Dec. 21. The Texas official said that considering all the factors, it was the proper time to call a state of emergency, as per CNN.
A senior Border Patrol official earlier this week said that more than 2,400 migrants crossed into the United States territory near El Paso daily over the weekend. They said that the number was a "major surge in illegal crossings" in the area.
While the number of migrants continues to rise and the region's resources are already critically strained, Wednesday also marks the lifting of Title 42. The measure was created at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and allowed officials to turn away migrants who were encountered at the southern border over health safety.
According to Reuters, Leeser, who is a Democrat, said that the state of emergency declaration would allow authorities to use resources and gain the ability to shelter migrants who crossed the US-Mexico border. He said that the decision was made to make sure that people were treated with dignity and to make sure that everyone was safe.
An Influx of Migrants at Mexico Border
The mayor's announcement comes as El Paso, which is a Democratic stronghold with a history of welcoming migrants, has struggled in the last few months to deal with the tens of thousands of migrants who crossed the southern border.
Under United State President Joe Biden's presidency, a record number of migrants have been caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The situation has prompted Republican opposition to politically attack the Democrat in favor of tougher policies.
Despite government officials moving migrants in El Paso to other US cities, local shelters are well beyond capacity and migrants have been forced to sleep on the streets. The region's deputy city manager, Mario D'Agostino, said that the state of emergency declaration will provide El Paso with extra transportation options to bus migrants to other, safer locations, and provide extra help from state law enforcement.
Leeser's request also includes asking for support in staffing for feeding and housing the influx of migrants. The El Paso mayor added that after the lifting of Title 42 on Wednesday, they were expecting the daily average of migrants to rise from 2,400 to 4,000 to 5,000, Fox News reported.
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