Kind-hearted volunteers who run food banks and shelters in the border city of El Paso are begging the Biden government to help them alleviate the crisis they have caused by letting thousands of migrants into the country every week.
The crisis at the border is escalating to such an extent that 1050 migrants arrive daily, mainly from Venezuela. They are overwhelming the city, whose inhabitants have always welcomed migrants and provided them with food and resources, but now struggle to meet demand.
In a passionate plea for help on Wednesday, the CEO of the rescue mission of El Paso, a religious shelter that welcomes the homeless, said no one from Washington DC had contacted.
He said the sheer number of people showing up every day puts pressure on the shelter, and staff fear they won’t be able to feed and clothe everyone who needs it.
The food banks have bare shelves and the shelters are bursting with beds. Cots have now been placed in the chapel of the rescue mission to accommodate the extra people.
Migrants in the El Paso rescue mission now sleep in the shelter’s chapel, where beds have been set up to deal with the sudden influx of people in need of shelter
Cots in chapel at El Paso rescue mission as city struggles to cope with influx of migrants
The shelves are bare at good banks like El Pasoans Fighting Hunger. For years, the city has generously welcomed and fed migrants – but the current influx is draining resources
A group of Venezuelans, who recently crossed into the US from Mexico, walk together after receiving food and other aid from a Good Samaritan on September 20, 2022 in El Paso, Texas
Venezuelans who recently crossed into the US from Mexico are loitering near the Greyhound bus station awaiting their September 20, 2022 trip in El Paso, Texas. In recent weeks, Venezuelans have arrived in El Paso in increasing numbers
Asylum-seeking migrants, mostly from Venezuela, wait in line to be processed after crossing the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, US, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, September 19, 2022
The El Paso rescue mission has now set up cots in its chapel to accommodate the thousands who arrive weekly.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the mission called for more donations.
‘Here’s a glimpse of our chapel where we had to move in cots because of the influx of migrants we’ve received.
“The number of migrants we’re getting to El Paso is so great it’s overwhelming… we need a well-coordinated federal solution to this problem, but so far no one from Washington has asked our opinion.
Blake W. Barrow, CEO of the El Paso . Rescue Mission
‘We need hiking boots for men, women and children. Shoes can be new or little used, as long as there are no holes or stains.’
And in a letter written Wednesday, CEO Blake W. Barrow said: “The immigration processing center became so overcrowded that the government began loading migrants onto buses and dropping them off in front of shelters. The rescue mission has received about 500 migrants. They are all from Venezuela. They need showers, good clothes and food.’
He added that the city urgently needs government assistance but is being ignored.
“The number of migrants we are getting to El Paso is so great that it is overwhelming the housing and support services the city can provide.
“Obviously we need a well-coordinated federal solution to this problem, but so far no one from Washington has asked our opinion.
He called for funding from the federal government and donations of clothing, along with Spanish speakers to assist the migrants in prayer.
“If there are hungry people in front of us, we will feed them, and we will accommodate as many people as possible. But the extra meals put a strain on the food budget. We serve more than twice as many meals today than we did two weeks ago. Your help is urgently needed.
‘We need good walking shoes, jeans, towels, double sheets and money for food and the utility bill. We would also like to have people who speak Spanish who can pray with those who are here. They have traveled more than 3000 kilometers and have experienced many traumas along the way.’
Venezuelan migrants, who boarded a bus in Texas, wait to be transported by volunteers to a local church after being dropped off outside the residence of US Vice President Kamala Harris, at the Naval Observatory in Washington, on September 15, 2022. DC.
Migrants arriving in New York City earlier this month. Republican mayors warn Democratic counterparts they will continue to send busloads of people until they denounce Biden’s border policies
Food banks in the city are also struggling to meet demand.
“We are working very hard to find the financial and food resources to face this crisis. We prepare daily bag lunches and bag breakfasts for the migrant population.
“We prepare nearly 2,000 meals a day,” Susan Goodell, CEO of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank, told FOX News.
Mario D’Agostino, the city’s deputy health manager, said: “If we go back and look at what the average was in August, that was about 700 a day. Today alone, we received at least 1,050 people who were released into the community.”
He added that the majority of those who now travel to the city are from Venezuela and almost all want to take a bus to New York City.
“By far the vast majority of them have asked to go to New York City. We’ve also had several large groups asking to go to Chicago,” he said.
Local politicians have likened the unfolding crisis to something from a ‘third world country’.
While the migrants temporarily overwhelm the congested resources in El Paso, it is not the final destination for the thousands of Venezuelans arriving in the city.
There is an ongoing row between governors and mayors in Texas and New York over where the families should settle.
El Paso defends sending thousands to New York City and insists the migrants want to go there.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other mayors of Democratic, refugee cities are confused about the busloads arriving.
Republican leaders say it calls their bluff perfect, after seeing them posit the issue for years without ever dealing with the crisis. President Biden continues to largely ignore the crisis.