This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
County to Close Migrant Services Center, Future Assistance in Limbo
The county’s Migrant Support Services Center will close as soon as year’s end as it anticipates no longer getting upfront Federal Emergency Management Agency funding under the new presidential administration.
The El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday voted to end its contracts for migrant support services, including its lease for a building on Montana Avenue and for staffing by the Providencia Group, among others. The center facilitates travel coordination for asylum seekers directly released by the U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We want to make sure we don’t expose the county to any financial liability that we do not get reimbursed for,” the county’s Chief Administrator Betsy Keller said. “We are now going into a time where we would be required to put funding out and ask the federal government to reimburse us – and that is our concern – is that we would not be reimbursed.”
A group of women at El Paso County’s Migrant Support Services Center watches as one of their fellow migrants is interviewed, Tuesday, Oct. 10. MSSC has set a national standard for a humanitarian approach to migrants, officials said at an event celebrating its first anniversary. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
The county has received about $29 million in upfront funding since beginning operations of the center in 2022 and had not spent any funding from its budget.
“We’re going to have a change in administration that was not helpful to us when they were in office last time, and we don’t expect them to be helpful any time soon,” said County Commissioner Davit Stout of President-elect Donald Trump taking office in January.
The number of migrants the center has assisted each month dipped significantly since June when President Biden issued an executive order restricting asylum when the number of daily migrant encounters reached a certain threshold. In June, the center assisted just over 1,500 migrants. In October, that number was at 290.
The center helps migrants with transportation, temporary shelter, rides to and from the airport or bus stations to their final destination cities. The center has assisted more than 115,000 asylum seekers since its opening and provided financial support through FEMA funds to five shelters – the Rescue Mission, the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, the Salvation Army, Sacred Heart Church and World Victory.
“The impact will definitely be there, but we also understand the need for them (the county) to do what they’re doing within the current political arena at this point on federal funds that may not be in place come the new calendar year,” said John Martin, director of the El Paso Opportunity Center for the Homeless.
Martin said instead of going through the county program, migrants needing assistance would go directly to the Downtown shelter network that also includes Sacred Heart Church. He said the number of people needing assistance from the Opportunity Center is currently manageable and they would be able to ramp up operations if needed.
The county still has funds that may be able to be used in the first quarter of 2025 and is working with FEMA to see if there are extensions available to continue to provide services beyond the end of the year, said Irene Gutierrez, the county’s executive director of community services.
Demolition Begins at Former Naked Harem for Community Center
The county of El Paso has begun demolishing the old Naked Harem building on Alameda Avenue in South Central, which will be turned into the Corbin Sambrano Wellness Center.
Plans for the Sambrano center include housing mental health services, law enforcement liaisons, victim resources, life skills education, multipurpose rooms, a meditation garden and more.
The former Naked Harem strip club could be rebuilt into the Corbin Sambrano Project, a community services annex that will provide an array of services, as well as meeting spaces and an outdoor seating area. (Cindy Ramirez / El Paso Matters)
Voters on Nov. 5 turned down a bond proposition that would have allocated about $29 million for the center. The project was under the larger $63.3 million proposal for county courthouse annexes and other buildings.
By law, the county cannot spend any taxpayer dollars on the project for at least three years following the failed bond proposal. But the law does not prohibit the county from using previously allocated and approved dollars for it, nor does it stop the county from seeking other funds.
The county had previously obtained some funding for the site, including environmental analysis, demolition and design, which was already in progress. County officials in a news release said they will continue to work with the local community to identify resources that will be used to repurpose the site once it’s demolished.
The two smaller buildings on the site will be demolished first. Complete demolition of the entire site will take four to eight months. Officials said the site will require significant environmental remediation, including asbestos removal.
The Naked Harem was shut down in the early 2000s after years of controversy and illegal activity at the site. The buildings were later seized by the District Attorney’s Office and donated to the county to be used to provide mental health, drug or rehabilitation services.
City Opens Applications for Spring Internship Program
The city of El Paso is accepting applications for its Spring 2025 Internship Cohort that gives undergraduate students at the University of Texas at El Paso a chance to intern at various city departments and get hands-on experience.
Students from all academic areas are able to apply and in order to qualify, applicants must be currently enrolled as undergraduate students at UTEP and be in good academic standing.
Some of the departments where students can apply are in municipal courts, the transformation office and economic development. The city may consider other options based on the applicant’s interests.
The city pays about $29,000 for intern positions, according to the job posting. The deadline to apply is Dec. 6. Interested students can apply at this link.
Cybersecurity Breach at Texas Tech Health El Paso
The Texas Tech Health Sciences Centers in Lubbock and El Paso experienced a cybersecurity breach in September 2024 and is reaching out to people whose information may have been compromised, according to a news release from Texas Tech Health El Paso.
An investigation confirmed that between Sept. 17 to 29, a cyberattack resulted in access to and removal of files and folders from the medical centers’ network, as well as a computer system outage. The files contained personal information including names, dates of birth, addresses, identification numbers, financial account information and medical records.
The health science centers are in the process of notifying people whose information may have been involved in this event and providing them with access to free credit monitoring services. Texas Tech Health El Paso is encouraging people whose information may have been compromised to be on alert for identity theft and fraud by monitoring their account statements, credit reports and health care billing statements for suspicious activities.
People seeking more information can call the assistance line at 1-866-902-1996 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding major holidays. More info: ttuhscep.edu/elpaso/outage-updates.
Paso del Norte Trail Receives Funding for Mission Valley Connection
The Paso del Norte Trail – a project to develop 75 miles of county-wide trail – has received $10.1 million from the Texas Department of Transportation. The funding will go toward a segment connecting the Tornillo to Fabens trails.
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation initiated the project in 2018, working with the city and county of El Paso, city of Socorro and TxDOT. Nearly 20 miles of the trail is complete, with another 28 miles funded for design and construction. The complete sections are the River Park Trail in the Upper Valley that runs along the Rio Grande and the Playa Drain Trail that runs from Ascarate park.
The Fabens and Tornillo trails are currently in the design phase with construction scheduled for completion by December 2026. The segment connecting the two trails is expected to be complete by December 2027.
“The goal is to create a regionally significant landmark that promotes active transportation, preserves the history and culture of our region, highlights the Rio Grande River, supports economic development and ecotourism, provides educational and volunteer opportunities, and makes healthy living the easy choice for our unique, binational community,” reads a news release from the foundation.
More info: pasodelnortetrail.org.
The post County to shut down migrant center, demolish Naked Harem building; PDN Trail gets funding for extension appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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