EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Dozens of migrants could be seen gathered outside of Sacred Heart Church in South El Paso on Monday, Dec. 11. Most of these migrants have been getting released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over the weekend after having been processed.
This comes just a week after groups of migrants amassed, up to approximately 130 people at “Gate 36” near Midway Drive along to the Border Highway, according to a statement from Border Patrol.
Migrants outside of Sacred Heart spoke to KTSM. Most of them said they turned themselves in at “Gate 36” several days ago.
Many of the migrants said they have been getting shelter at the church, especially women and children. However, many of them are opting to stay outside.
“There’s a lot of people outside because they don’t like to be closed indoors. But they do go in and eat breakfast, then come out. They eat dinner, and then come out again,” said Colombian migrant Albenis Flores Carpio.
“I don’t know why they complain about the shelters. I don’t understand because they offer us help. They’re outside because they want to, not because they have to,” she added.
The Rescue Mission of El Paso said they did see a “big increase” in the number of migrants seeking shelter over the weekend.
Migrants who were recently released were uncertain of what their next steps would be.
“We’re waiting to see what’s next, to see if someone can help us, whether it’s someone from here or a family member who can help us with money to be able to buy our ticket to our destination,” said a Venezuelan migrant.
Meanwhile, migrant encounters by CBP have remained steady. The City’s migrant dashboard recorded 881 daily migrant encounters as of Monday, Dec. 11. That compares to an average of 2,700 daily migrant encounters Border Patrol said they saw in November 2022.
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