EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The El Paso City Council is set to look at an item on next week’s agenda regarding millions of dollars of funding for the busing of migrants to other cities.
As we have reported currently buses are being sent to New York and Chicago.
The item on the agenda for the approval of a total of $10 million from the Emergency Food and Shelter fund to continue busing migrants out of El Paso.
According to the City of El Paso, the average daily cost for food, staffing, shelter, and transportation of migrants is $250,000.
The city is receiving $2 million from FEMA for future costs, and the city is requesting reimbursement of $3 million for past costs.
Earlier in the week Mayor Oscar Leeser spoke with an NBC reporter about the need to adapt as we continue to see migrants crossing the border into El Paso.
“When you have a huge increase, you need to continue to adapt,” said Leeser.
He was asked if he has been in contact with the Biden Administration.
“I’ve been over to Washington and been able to talk to them and the biggest thing we need is decompression,” said Leeser.
On Thursday City Council members urged Mayor Leeser to issue an emergency declaration due to the migrant situation. However, Leeser said in a statement the request by council members is premature.
“While I appreciate the concern expressed by the three City Representatives, the action they are calling for is premature at this time. The migrants entering our community aren’t coming to El Paso, they are coming to the United States,” a portion of Mayor Leeser’s statement said.
The CEO of the Rescue Mission of El Paso said on Friday that he has 50 migrants staying at the shelter, which he said doesn’t compare to the 500 they had a few weeks ago.
“Here we’re not in a crisis right now, two weeks ago we were getting busloads of migrants, unannounced coming in,” said Blake Barrow, CEO of Rescue Mission of El Paso.
However, he says the drop offs of migrants at the shelter has not been very coordinated by Border Patrol.
“We provide things the best we can but imagine you preparing dinner for 110 and all of a sudden you are serving 250 it would be nice to have a few hours notice.
As the central processing facility was at capacity and other shelters as well, the City of El Paso has been putting migrants up in hotels.
“I do not have knowledge on what price we’re paying for the hotel it sounds like not exactly the most cost-efficient method what I’m trying to work out with the city and the county there’s some real estate directly across the street,” said Blake Barrow.
Barrow says the area across the street is owned by the city and he believes they could fit 125 migrants in the facility, offering for the Rescue Mission of El Paso to run it.
“It would be in large rooms with costs not as nice as a hotel room, but certainly more cost-effective,” said Barrow.
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