Thousands of undocumented migrants continue crossing illegally into the U.S. with an even bigger surge expected next week with the end of Title 42.
Overrun with migrants processed and released in the city, El Paso County is reaching out to the state’s largest cities for help, meaning thousands of migrants in El Paso could soon be bound for DFW.
“Faith Forward is the one in Dallas that’s helping out and we’re talking to them,” said El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego.
Samaniego confirms to NBC 5 he is working on partnerships with non-governmental organizations to bus hundreds of migrants a day to airports in Houston and Dallas.
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He says they are trying to help migrants who have been processed and released into the community get to their destinations quicker.
Many often encounter problems because they can’t afford plane or bus tickets in El Paso, he said.
The partnership uses charter buses, paid for by NGOs, to transport migrants from El Paso to cities with larger airports, with a greater number of flights and flights often at a lower cost.
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“There was a young man that it was going to cost him $800 to go to Atlanta, but when he got on a bus to Houston, it was $120,” said Samaniego.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says the effort appears to be working in Houston and expects the same in Dallas.
“There’s no government action, no taxpayer dollars or governmental centers where the migrants will be staying,” he said.
Samaniego says they are currently experiencing 2,500 daily border crossings in El Paso.
A bigger surge of migrants is expected next Wednesday when a federal judge has ordered Title 42 to be lifted.
The public health policy, implemented during the Trump administration to stop the spread of COVID-19 and continued in the Biden administration, has allowed for the quick expulsion of over 2 million migrants since 2020.
“I don’t think it will end next week,” said Dallas immigration attorney Fernando Dubove. “I think the judge is going to rule in favor of following the Administrative Procedures Act and require the Biden administration to hold public hearings on how [lifting Title 42] will affect the border cities and states.”
