El Paso Standard

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser has declared a state of emergency as hundreds of asylum seekers are sleeping on the streets of El Paso in below-freezing temperatures.

WIth Title 42 set to expire on Wednesday, Leeser felt it was the appropriate time to finally declare a state of emergency.

“We see the temperatures dropping and we know that Title 42 looks like it's going to be called back on Wednesday,” Leeser said in a Dec. 17 press conference streamed on YouTube. “We felt it was the proper time today to call a state of emergency and the reason why we're doing it is because I said from the beginning that I would call it when I felt that either our asylum seekers or our community was not safe and I really believe that today. Our asylum seekers are not safe as we have hundreds and hundreds on the street and that's not the way we want to treat people.” 

As a result of declaring an emergency, which will be in effect for seven days, the City will be able to use additional resources that will likely be needed in the future after the expiration of Title 42; a recent KTSM report said. The purpose of Title 42 is to prevent the cross-border transmission of COVID-19. It has been in operation since the Trump administration and enables border authorities to send certain migrants back to Mexico when they are encountered. 

In conjunction with the weather and the state of emergency, the State has received requests from the City of El Paso asking for assistance with personnel for feeding and housing migrants, transportation for migrants to other cities, and the presence of State law enforcement to safeguard migrants as well as El Paso residents; a recent KFOX14 report said.