El Paso issues third emergency order extension for migrants from U.S.-Mexico border

The city of El Paso said that its resources have become overwhelmed by the influx of migrants and it has created a public safety crisis.

El Paso has again extended an emergency order on July 17 authorizing the city manager to assign personnel and resources to mitigate thousands of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

This marks the third extension of the emergency order as the city seeks to address “significant public safety and security concerns related to the wave of migration” which includes injury or death from migrants overwhelming city resources.

This comes as the El Paso City Council previously extended the order in June after instituting the order in May as the Biden administration ended the Covid-19 emergency status in May, effectively eliminating Title 42 restrictions. Under Title 42, migrants who entered the country illegally were allowed to be quickly exported even if they had plans to seek asylum due to public health risks.

More than 200 migrants have been released into the city in June 2023, per the emergency order, as overcrowding of Customs and Border Patrol Central Processing Center and numerous humanitarian agencies forces the agency to release downtown.

El Paso’s sector of the CBP has faced 26,907 land encounters in May and more than 300,000 since October 2022, according to the emergency order. There have been 200 migrants released into the city in June 2023, per the emergency order.

El Paso provides four points of access along the U.S.-Mexico border, including city-operated El Paso International Airport which is expecting increased security risk as demand for air travels increases, the order says.

In September 2022, El Paso city officials established a welcome center to provide transportation assistance to over 1,000 migrants per day. The center has since provided long-distance charter services and 39,000 meals to 19,300 migrants, as of October 2022.

City officials in El Paso have reallocated 29 Covid-19 operations staff to assist as migrant shelter staff and created a classification system for future support staff employed by the city in partnership with various non-governmental and humanitarian organizations.

The emergency order was passed unanimously by the City Council and with the approval of the Mayor and will be automatically repealed on August 31, unless an extension is approved by the city council prior to this date.

The city of El Paso didn't respond to an email seeking comment.