El Paso locals are rallying together to support the influx of thousands of migrants coming across the border just days before Christmas – even opening their homes to asylum seekers with children.
The city on Wednesday convert its iconic El Paso Convention Center into a makeshift shelter filled to the brim with nearly 1,000 cot beds in anticipation for the influx.
Residents in the small border hub have been quick to purchase blankets, jackets, shoes and even toys for the children left sheltering on the streets as the temperatures plummet.
Thousands of asylum-seekers have been queueing up at the border waiting to get into the country to be processed by Border Control as 400 members of the National Guard line up along the Rio Grande.
Two volunteers have opened their own homes to women with young children who are being forced to sleep on the streets despite shelters opening.
Residents were seen Wednesday purchasing blankets, jackets, shoes and even toys for the children left sheltering on the streets as the temperatures plummeted Wednesday night
A sign posted by one of many Good Samaritans in the West Texas city advertises free amenities for the weather-worn travelers, who are arriving in abundance ahead of the anticipated nixing of Title 42 next week
It comes as the city has struggled to address the surge in asylum seekers, with officials Wednesday converting its iconic El Paso Convention Center into a makeshift shelter filled to the brim with nearly 1,000 cot beds
Karina and Oscar, both 29, decided to open their own properties to migrants as well as taking them back to ensure they catch buses elsewhere.
Speaking to DailyMail.com Oscar said: ‘As volunteers we do it for families, with kids or elderly people that are more vulnerable.
‘We also take people to as many shelters as we can, and we are involved with the New Feminist group which is currently setting up a shelter which isn’t open yet.
‘We just think it’s important to keep them out of the cold, and have been involved in helping since 2018.
’Once they see Karina, who volunteers with me, they are a lot more comfortable to get in the car with us once they realize it’s not me.
Migrants forced to sleep on the streets are seen sharing hot soup with one another as they were welcomed by citizens with a host of gifts ahead of the Christmas holiday
Good Samaritans living in the border city are seen giving out hot food to migrants who are sleeping on the streets outside a Greyhound bus station
Some citizens have even opened their own homes to women with young children who are being forced to outside as shelters and food banks continue to find themselves overrun ahead of Title 42’s anticipated expiration
’They have been through a lot so it is understandable as to why they are more hesitant, but we bring them back once they have had a hot meal and a warm bed to make sure they catch their buses.’
Many store owners in the city say that while their businesses haven’t been directly impacted by the massive influx, some have been asked by migrants for jobs despite having no papers.
Gustava Tavera owns one of the many bustling store on South El Paso St which is just yards away from the very busy official port of entry into the US from Mexico.
Karina and Oscar, both 29, are among the volunteers to have opened their own homes to women with young children who are being forced to sleep on the streets
Karina, 29, hands out blankets to newly arrived migrants on the streets outside the Greyhound station Wednesday night
‘We bring them back once they have had a hot meal and a warm bed to make sure they catch their buses,’ Karina told DailyMail.com Wednesday
The 56-year-old has run his store, Tee Box, for 18 years and said that he has seen the numbers of migrants rising and falling ninthat time.
He told DailyMail.com: ‘I have seen people coming across the border for 33 years, I see the migrants on the streets right now and the past few weeks but it has been happening years.
‘When Obama was president he deported a lot more people than Trump, but the numbers are so high with Biden now. This is not new for me but the numbers are getting higher.
‘I get clients who want to buy for children and give to immigrants. They buy $100 every time, and I give them $40 extra in clothing and tell them, please give to the migrants.
Migrants were sleeping in below-freezing temperatures ahead of the deadline to repeal Title 42, a guidance that makes it easier for border officials to turn away asylum seekers
Newly arrived migrants are pictured sleeping in droves on the streets of the Texas city, where temperatures reached freezing the night prior
A migrant is pictured sleeping in a blanket provided by the American Red Cross Wednesday night. Charity organizations have struggled to address the recent surge in border crossers in recent days as the status of Title 42 remains largely up in the air
‘If the migrants come in and buy a hoodie or something then sometimes I give them free socks or a t-shirt. Some don’t have money, and it’s sad they are very much in need of things.’
Tavera added that the influx of migrants is also causing a backlog at the official port of entry for his clients from Mexico from crossing over – with queues tailing back for up to three hours.
He believes that the issue comes from Border Control being ‘ so understaffed’ and ‘not having enough people etc process them’.
The border crossing in El Paso, TX, is allegedly taking longer due to understaffed border officers. Pictured is a car crossing point on Wednesday, from the El Paso side of the check-in
People enter El Paso, Texas, via Paso Norte, which puts entrants directly on El Paso Street, where business owners told DailyMail.com that kindhearted El Pasoans are buying goods for the visitors, which is many cases are families
Many other El Paso residents want to help the migrants clean up and stay warm after the harrowing journey to the U.S – with food banks days away from running dry.
Kind-hearted volunteers running food banks and shelters in the border town of El Paso are begging the Biden administration to help them ease the crisis they have created by allowing thousands of migrants to enter the country every week.
The show of charity comes the day Title 42 was supposed to expire after court rulings caused the Biden administration to delay ending the immigration-related public health order from the end of May to the end of December.
The administration, however, responded to a recent stay from the Supreme Court requesting that a pause on ending Title 42 be extended to at least Tuesday, December 27.
Food trucks have also been getting in on the Christmas spirit, handing out free hot meals to those in need as well as dried food of charities.
The show of charity comes the day Title 42 was supposed to expire after court rulings caused the Biden administration to delay ending the immigration-related public health order from the end of May to the end of December
Business on S. El Paso Street are busy with the usual holiday shoppers, but store owners are now saying they’ve seen increased sales thanks to citizens purchasing anything from toys to blankets to newly arrived migrants for the holiday season
Locals are helping children seeking asylum in the US by buying toys, clothes, and shoes at businesses like this one on S. El Paso Street
David Varela, who teaches history at the University of Texas El Paso and other local education institutions, told DailyMail.com that he believes the Christmas and Hanukkah holiday have only bolstered residents’ giving spirit toward migrants.
He said: ‘I do frankly think that because of the time of year it is, considering also the weather, there’s more groups getting together giving water, clothing and resources. People are willing to help.
‘This is the first time that this city is overwhelmed to the point where our resources don’t suffice anymore, unfortunately. It’s thousands of people in a place that’s used to getting maybe hundreds.
‘We’ll always join and pull together to help our fellow refugee asylum seeker immigrants, anyone who’s looking to start the American dream.’
A cashier at a business close to the border said many migrants don’t have money or papers when arriving, so residents buy items like blankets, jackets, gloves and hats to hand out to those camped out on the street overnight in sub-freezing temperatures.
Gustava Tavera owns one of the many bustling store on South El Paso St – which is just yards away from the very busy official port of entry into the US from Mexico
The 56-year-old has run his store, Tee Box, for 18 years and said that he has seen the numbers of migrants rising and falling in that time
Tavera told DailyMail.com: ‘I have seen people coming across the border for 33 years, I see the migrants on the streets right now and the past few weeks but it has been happening years.
Winter clothes are in high demand for the newcomers, who are often underequipped for the famously volatile climate in arid locales like El Paso
Toys have also emerged as a hotly purchased item, as citizens seek to make the migrants feel more at home
Employees at a currency exchange booth situated among the shops told DailyMail.com that before 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 227 people had already come in to either trade Pesos for USD or receive wire transfers.
They said the rate of visitors at the booth has greatly increased in recent days and the majority are those crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.
Varela added: ‘The people of El Paso know exactly what it’s like to be an immigrant, and the majority of this city knows what it’s like to be on that side of the river, yearning to be on this side.’
Another worker at a shop called Yvans World said El Paso residents frequently come to his store looking to purchase items only for migrants.
He added: ‘Lots of locals are helping the migrants a lot, they are buying shoes, giving toys to children.’
Amelia Zapata, 62, works at a boutique close to the border and said migrants sometimes come in to buy clothing so they can change into something new.
Hundreds of migrants were forced to take to the streets of El Paso after Border Patrol facilities and local shelters were overwhelmed by the influx in illegal activity at the southern border in the last week.
Many groups, as well as individual El Paso residents, have taken to donating clothing and toys to migrants on the streets – especially those camping out around a Greyhound bus station in downtown El Paso.
Thousands of asylum-seekers have been queueing up at the border waiting to get into the country to be processed by Border Control
Migrants who have already crossed the Rio Grande are now waiting along the US border wall in the cold with an unknown destiny
Children on the Mexico side the border wall were seen playing with rocks and trash and in seemingly good spirits
Migrants have been forced to deal with long lines and lengthy wait times while just feet away from being welcomed into the country
A family poses for a photo through the border wall as they wait to gain entry Wednesday
Some migrants were waiting until Title 42 was supposed to end on Wednesday to cross into the U.S., but once the stay was extended, several made their break across the border despite being met with 400 Texas National Guard troops deployed this week by Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
Title 42 is a public-health policy that was enacted by former President Donald Trump at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The policy allowed Border Patrol to expedite expulsions without hearing asylum claims from migrants crossing into the U.S.
At least on 2.5 million occasions, the policy has been used over the last nearly three years to expel migrants back to whichever port from which they illegally crossed into the U.S.
Some migrants were waiting until Title 42 was supposed to end on Wednesday to cross into the U.S., but once the stay was extended, several made their break across the border
Officials said over the weekend 2,500 migrants were arriving in El Paso daily, a figure that could rise to ‘4,000, 5,000, maybe 6,000’
The city is also planning to use the Convention Center as a migrant shelter later in the week to provide ‘essential services’
More htan 400 members of the National Guard deployed to address the abnormal influx of asylum seekers are seen lined up along the Rio Grande Wednesday
Officials said over the weekend 2,500 migrants were arriving in El Paso daily, a figure that could rise to ‘4,000, 5,000, maybe 6,000.’
El Paso City officials confirmed that why will start sheltering migrants at Bassett Middle School and Moorehead Middle School – which are currently vacant.
The city is now using its Convention Center – typically reserved for hosting massive events and gatherings as a migrant shelter later to provide ‘essential services’.
‘We want to make sure they are out of the elements, they’re safe, they’re secure, there’s security here and they’ll have meals provided,’ said Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino of the plan, which was already underway Wednesday.
Video shows the almost finished product – a sea of cot beds seen lining the entirety of the hall’s sprawling floorplan Wednesday late afternoon.
The city is almost finished working on the makeshift shelter, after declaring the state of emergency allowing access to state funds.
The Department of Homeland Security has requested an additional $3billion to deal with the impending onslaught of migrants – on top of the $56.7billion President Biden requested to be included in the fiscal year 2023 spending bill Congress is currently negotiating for the department (DHS).
The Department of Homeland Security has requested an additional $3billion to deal with the impending onslaught of migrants – on top of the $56.7billion President Biden requested to be included in the fiscal year 2023 spending bill Congress is negotiating for the department
The National Guard has set up a 1-kilometer stretch of military presence in preparation for the lifting of Title 42 next week, which Republicans had warned would see a surge in crossings
