Funviralpark
CNN
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As freezing temperatures from coast-to-coast winter storms reach El Paso, Texas, some migrants who have not turned themselves in to border patrol agents or authorities after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are struggling to find shelter. I am struggling with
El Paso is in the midst of a state of emergency declared for thousands of immigrants living in perilous conditions as Trump-era border policies to keep immigrants out of the United States remain in flux amid court proceedings. It’s in the middle.
The city of El Paso has opened government-run shelters at convention centers, hotels and several schools that are not in use, but the city says it cannot accept immigrants without documentation from Customs and Border Protection. spokesperson Laura Cruz Acosta said.
The city must follow state and federal policies, and she requires immigrants to give papers to obtain shelter at government-run facilities.
If illegal immigrants show up at a government-run site, they are either connected to Customs and Border Protection to initiate the process of surrendering themselves or they are connected to an NGO-run shelter locally, she said.
The three men, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNN they have been deported from the United States multiple times in recent weeks and have been repeatedly denied legal entry into the country, so they no longer want to be border agents. Told. The men say they crossed the Rio Grande and passed through the border wall without being spotted by border patrol agents.
As dangerously cold weather sets in this week, US border officials are warning migrants trying to enter the country of disastrous weather.
“Extremely cold and sub-zero temperatures are expected along the Mexico-U.S. border over the next few days,” U.S. Border Patrol Deputy Chief Hugo Carmona said in a video statement. “Don’t risk your life or the life of your loved ones by trying to cross a river or desert. Avoid human death or tragedy and stay at home or in a safe haven. This is an important warning to
Undocumented migrants have few shelter options, but some NGOs host migrants in institutions. CNN spoke to two shelters that accept illegal immigrants but are overcrowded.
John Martin, deputy director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, told CNN he had asked the city’s emergency department to keep the convention center open to illegal immigrants for at least the next two days, but to no avail. rice field.
On Wednesday night, the men’s shelter run by his organization slept more than 290 men, but the space was designed for 125.
“We literally have to close the door tonight,” he said. “We can’t let anyone in.”
The nearby Sacred Heart Church, which has a normal capacity of 130, will expand to 200 over the next four nights, prioritizing women and children, officials said. However, hundreds of people continue to wait outside the church.
“My biggest fear is that someone won’t wake up tomorrow morning,” Martin told CNN. “I hope I’m dead wrong.”
Many of the immigrants coming to El Paso didn’t want to stay, but the city’s infrastructure was struggling to support the surging crowds, said Mario D’Agostino, deputy mayor of El Paso.
“We have a modestly sized airport and some small bus terminals, but not enough to keep up with normal holiday traffic,” D’Agostino told CNN’s Boris Sanchez on Saturday.
Now, in addition to traffic jams, hundreds of migrants are trying to leave the city every day. “We don’t have the infrastructure to keep up: flights from El Paso, buses from El Paso.”
