The mayor of a Texas border town declared a state of emergency on Saturday amid concerns about the community’s ability to handle an anticipated influx of migrants crossing the southern border.
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leiser issued an emergency declaration to allow the city on the U.S. border with Mexico to use additional resources expected to be needed after Title 42 deportations expire on Dec. 21, the El Paso Times reported.
Leiser had previously resisted issuing an emergency declaration but said he was spurred into action after seeing temperatures on downtown streets drop below freezing.
“That’s not the way we want to treat people,” Leiser said at a news conference Saturday evening.
D.C. Friday’s ruling by the Circuit Court of Appeals means restrictions that have prevented millions of immigrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. in recent years are still lifted Wednesday unless further appeals are filed.
Leiser added that the increase would be “unbelievable” after Wednesday when daily apprehensions and street releases could reach 6,000 per day, the Times reported.
Mario D’Agostino, El Paso’s deputy city manager, said the state of emergency declaration would give the city more flexibility to conduct larger shelter operations and provide more transportation for refugees.