Migrant surge leading to rapid release, asylum seekers living with sponsors

Just months ago they were complete strangers.

Now they live together like a family.

Isis Suarez said she fled her home country of Honduras because of gang violence. Since January, Suarez and her daughter, Halli, been living with Irene Alatorre — her sponsor.

“I have a lot of space in my house because my daughters have moved out, so I had extra room when she needed the space,” Alatorre said.

The two met back in October at El Calvario church in Las Cruces. Alatorre was volunteering at the church to help out migrants. Suarez asked for asylum after crossing through a port of entry in El Paso. After being processed, she was released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on her own recognizance.

The sheer number of migrants who have crossed into the U.S. in recent months has led to ICE releasing migrants who are not deemed a threat. ICE does not have the resources to detain them, so migrants are bused to churches and shelters.

“When I first started at El Calvario, my first thing was [helping] the children. That’s how I met Isis with her daughter, to take her somewhere so that they could give her clothes,” Alatorre said.

Most asylum seekers go to live with sponsors once they’re released. In the majority of cases, sponsors are family members or close friends.

That’s exactly what Suarez did. For months, she lived with a cousin in Houston. But, they had a falling out. With nowhere else to go, Suarez called Alatorre.

Alatorre agreed to sponsor Suarez and her daughter. She drove to the Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Houston to make it official. Alatorre said it was a simple process.

“When I went to the office, they just said, all we need is the address where you’re going and that’s it. They didn’t want anything from me,” Alatorre said.

Immigration attorney Daniel Caudillo said the requirements for sponsoring asylum seekers are much different from the those of a person who is sponsoring a green-card applicant.

“If you sponsor an individual that’s seeking a permanent residency status, you’re signing an actual contract with the U.S. government, obliging yourself to financial support and ensuring that that individual does not become a public burden,” Caudillo said.

In these cases, a sponsor must be a U.S. citizen and related to the immigrant. They must prove that they make a certain amount of money to care for the immigrant. They are also responsible for fees that can total hundreds of dollars.

Sponsors like Alatorre just need to provide a stable address. Since asylum seekers have to wait at least five months before they can apply for a work permit, sponsors must also provide for them. However, the sponsor bears no other responsibility for the migrant.

“It’s on their own recognizance, so that sponsor would not have any consequences if the individual that they sponsor does not show up to court,” El Paso ICE Field Office Director Corey Price said.

Suarez said her next immigration court hearing will be in November. She’s grateful to have someone like Alatorre who provides unwavering support.

“I think she’s been my angel in this country,” Suarez said in Spanish. “She’s been like a mother to me. She’s supported me in everything.”