An arctic blast coinciding with a rise in migrant crossings at the Texas-Mexico border is overwhelming shelters in El Paso and other areas of Texas as organizations work to protect those most vulnerable to single-digit temperatures.
this week it expects the grid to stay online. But with temperatures in many parts of the state plummeting into single digits, unsheltered people will be especially vulnerable.
Migrants tried to stay warm inside an El Paso parking garage after being dropped off at a local bus station by Customs and Border Protection agents on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.Over the past week, homeless shelter employees and outreach groups have been visiting encampments and providing coats, hats and blankets. Some groups working with unsheltered populations have been frustrated by the lack of preparation and information from officials ahead of the freeze.
Xie said the two-hour window to reserve a spot at the shelter was unnecessarily strict and would be difficult for the population.Sara Henry, who oversees the city’s emergency communications at the office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the city had been coordinating with homeless service providers for several days about preparations for the cold, and that the registration window is set up to help to manage the city’s limited resources.
In Dallas, Wayne Walker, CEO and pastor of faith-based organization OurCalling, said he does not anticipate the city’s shelters to fill up this week. “We will take anybody that comes through the door,” said Austin Street Center spokesperson Teresa Thomas. “These efforts are low-barrier. You don’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops. This type of weather is life altering, life threatening.”
The city of Houston, which will likely see subfreezing temperatures from Thursday night through Saturday morning, will open five warming centers Thursday that will each provide chairs, blankets and other supplies, Mayor Sylvester TurnerBut while some officials are focused on freezing temperatures, others are more concerned about increased numbers of migrants.
First: Alfonso Lopez, associate director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston, in Houston on Dec. 21, 2022. Last: Omar Gonzales Vargas, 39, had arrived at the Houston center from Nicaragua with his wife.“It was a very difficult journey,” said Omar Gonzales Vargas, 39, who had arrived from Nicaragua with his wife. “I saw things I never thought I would see — there were a lot of people suffering, going without eating, walking without soles on their shoes.
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