The migrant crisis is worsening in the Texan town of El Paso and conditions have now worsened to near breaking-point.
Over 1,000 illegal migrants were released onto the streets of the border town as officials are no longer able to cope with the continual influx of people.
The migrants, who are predominantly from Venezuela, were “street releases” by Border Patrol as all the shelters and facilities in the area are already overwhelmed.
Conditions on the streets are dire, and hundreds of migrants are having to sleep in makeshift accommodation outside residential homes and businesses.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” GOP congressman Tony Gonzalez told the New York Post.
“It’s a scene that you would see in a third-world country, not in the streets of El Paso.”
According to local residents, the “smell of human waste is overwhelming in the area” as the migrants have no toilets and are relieving themselves in the street.
“There’s nothing safe about having people roaming the streets, it’s almost apocalyptic,” continued Gonzalez.
“I’d argue that we’re very compassionate people, people who want to give the shirt off their back, but when there’s no end in sight, it’s just not fair.”
Venezuelan migrants have arrived in the hundreds in Ciudad Juárez with hopes of seeking asylum as they cross the Río Bravo. Migrants are being released in the streets of El Paso, some without funds have had to sleep on the streets as they figure out their next move. pic.twitter.com/B8E2IhXsv9
— J. Omar Ornelas (@fotornelas) September 13, 2022
It comes as record numbers of migrants are swarming across the border every day. This fiscal year, Border Patrol agents have reported 2 million encounters with illegal aliens, and as the Biden Administration has just extended Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, border towns have been faced with a massive, unmanageable flood of people.
Yesterday, illegal migrants who entered at Eagle Pass, around 450 miles from El Paso killed a guard dog and ate the animal as they made their way into the United States, with the confidence that under soft touch Biden, they will be able to stay.
In July, around 200,000 migrants made the crossing, and Texas Governor, Greg Abbott has begun to bus some of them to liberal cities which claimed they were provide ‘sanctuary’ for asylum seekers.
According to US Customs, El Paso, which is around 80 percent Latino, has seen around 1,300 illegal migrants arriving every day since the start of this month. Border Patrol was forced to “street release” at least 932 migrants. Many were released near bus stations as agents hoped that they would decide to make their way to other parts of the country, relieving at least some of the pressure at the border.
NEW: Several hundred migrants are beginning to gather under a bridge in El Paso, TX after they crossed illegally. Local NGOs & CBP facilities are overwhelmed as crossings surge there, & CBP confirms to us they are having to release migrants near El Paso shelters & bus stations. pic.twitter.com/Yhl8Mg5q1s
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 14, 2022
“Generally, after processing, migrants who are not detained for the duration of their removal proceeding are provisionally released in coordination with NGOs [non-governmental organizations],” a spokesman for Border Patrol told NBC.
“If NGOs are over capacity, U.S. Border Patrol coordinates with local government and cities to identify locations where migrants can conveniently access transportation services or accommodations.”
This week, El Paso’s County Commissioners managed to secure funding for the town to set up its own migrant processing center, which it says will stop any future need for ‘street releases’.
While this may help improve the immediate, dire situation in El Paso, the wider problem of uncontrolled and out-of-control illegal immigration now needs addressing more desperately than ever.
This story syndicated with permission from Jo Marney, Author at Trending Politics
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