El Paso is under siege again by the Biden border crisis but this time it is different

AP Photo/Christian Chavez

El Paso has been under siege by the Biden border crisis before. El Paso is a popular crossing point for migrants looking for a way into the United States. There is a legal port of entry there at the Mexican border and there are paths taken illegally by migrants avoiding the legal pathway.

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Going back to the 1990s, the primary impact of illegal immigration in El Paso has been felt in neighborhoods closest to the border near downtown. The city has almost 700,000 residents and prides itself on being a binational community. That is not unusual for border cities, especially in Texas. However, this time is different. There are so many migrants crossing into the city that there is nowhere for them to go. They are going into neighborhoods further east and west due to the Texas National Guard stringing up concertina wire along the river levee through downtown.

One business owner who is normally not bothered by the illegal migrants coming into his city now points out the consequences. It’s a nuisance.

Raul Gonzalez, who has spent much of his life in El Paso, said large numbers of border crossers haven’t previously gotten as much attention. This time is different, he said, as more people who can’t cross into downtown dart across border-adjacent highways, causing traffic slowdowns and occasional near misses or accidents.

“For the first time, it’s been kind of a nuisance,” Mr. Gonzalez said in the restaurant he owns on the city’s west side. “They don’t have a place to go and they can’t work.”

So, they are faced with shelters that are overcrowded.

John Martin, deputy director of the Opportunity Center, a nonprofit group that is housing migrants, said the surge started in earnest about a week ago, “but it feels like it’s been a year.”

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El Paso assistant city manager Mario D’Agostino said the state has resumed busing operations in other cities to transport the illegal migrants to out-of-state destinations including New York City and Chicago. A pair of decommissioned schools will be ready to use early next week. They can house between 500 and 1500 people. That’s a drop in the bucket of the number of migrants arriving in the city. Conditions are rapidly deteriorating along the border. Thousands are expected to attempt to cross on Thursday when Title 42 expires.

The numbers recorded just in the past 72 hours have been jaw-dropping numbers, even for those of us who regularly cover the Biden border crisis. I write about it frequently because it is an important issue whether the Biden administration thinks it is or not. The numbers have already begun to noticeably escalate. This is before Thursday, May 11, when Title 42 ends. Heaven help the border communities and Border Patrol on the ground.

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Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reports there have been 26,300 migrant apprehensions over the last three days. He has been one of the very few reporters covering the border during the Biden administration. He says he has never seen anything like what is happening now.

Migrants who are not arrested are stuck in El Paso. They lack government paperwork that would allow them to travel. If they had gone through legal channels to get into this country, that would not be the case. They chose this path. It is unreasonable to expect Texans and other Americans to feel much sympathy for them when they deliberately made poor choices as they entered the country. Now they threaten the security of American citizens and the jobs of workers legally here.

El Paso plans to work with NGOs to bus migrants to other Texas cities where they will have better transportation options. That will be in addition to busing them to other states. El Paso has bused illegal aliens to other states separately from the buses sent by Governor Abbott. El Paso has its own operation. When you hear a sanctuary city mayor, like NYC Mayor Adams, complain about buses coming from Texas, it is not always by Governor Abbott. Abbott is a Republican, though, so he is scapegoated by the Democrats running sanctuary cities. The mayor of El Paso is a Democrat, too. “There is no light at the end of the tunnel,” said El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser. “We are preparing for the unknown.”

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Many of the migrants in El Paso were arrested by Border Patrol agents. They were then released and given orders to report to immigration court at a later date. Now they are making arrangements to leave by bus or plane. DHS flies illegal aliens across the country regularly to relieve overcrowding in Texas. Every state is a border state in Biden’s America. It is estimated that 2,500 migrants are waiting in El Paso to travel elsewhere. There are currently between 12,000 and 35,000 people in Ciudad Juárez, just across the Rio Grande River waiting to cross over into El Paso on May 11. Most of those flocking to El Paso are Venezuelans.

El Paso airport, where migrants have been camping out, is making changes as it prepares for Title 42 to end and the summer travel season to begin. Starting today, only passengers with a ticket will be allowed inside the airport between 3:30 A.M. and the last flight of the day. Got that? Travelers can’t even enter the airport without a ticket. That is how chaotic the situation is there. There are exceptions for those who need help and for minors, but good heavens.

A service company helps illegal aliens through the airport and helps them buy their tickets. They explain airport security and how to navigate it, as well as how to find their gate. Will those who spend the night in the airport the night before their flight be able to continue to do so? An average of 50 families stay in a conference room at the airport known as “La Placita”, usually just overnight as they wait for early morning flights out of El Paso. Before the conference room was made available for them, the migrants were sleeping on the floor of the airport overnight.

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Do any of these accommodations made for illegal aliens scream “Don’t come” to you? Of course not. That has never been the message from the Biden administration, no matter what they say. Instead, everyone is figuring out how best to quickly process them and send them on their way.

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