Oscar Leeser, the mayor of the U.S. town of El Paso, Texas, declared a state of emergency late Saturday as hundreds of migrants continue to arrive in the city in anticipation of the impending repeal of the Trump-era border policy.
In a statement, the mayor — who had previously refused to declare a state of emergency — said hundreds of migrants are on the streets «in unsafe conditions» as temperatures begin to drop, CNN reported.
Leeser also stressed the importance of declaring the emergency in light of the fact that more migrants will arrive in the town when the Biden Administration implements a less stringent reform of the Trump Administration’s border policy next week.
«We know the influx on Wednesday will be incredible,» the El Paso mayor has told a news conference, later adding that some officials have estimated that the number of migrants arriving could more than double.
«Taking all those factors into account, we felt that today was the right time to declare a state of emergency,» he added.
The Trump-era immigration policy, which imposed restrictions on asylum seekers, will end Wednesday after a federal judge struck down the rule in November. The judge gave the Biden administration five weeks, ending Dec. 21, to reform the use of the rule.
By declaring a state of emergency, the city can bring in additional resources to get people off the streets and into shelters, Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino said in remarks reported by ‘The Hill’.
In addition, it will also help transport migrants as they travel to their final destinations, according to D’Agostino.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
