Annunciation House opens new shelter: ‘House of the Refugee’
The Annunciation House held a news conference Wednesday to discuss the opening of a new hospitality center used to accommodate the massive amount of migrants coming into Borderland communities.
Casa del Refugiado, House of the Refugee in English, was set up in east El Paso. ABC-7 was asked not to publish to exact location of the large warehouse where asylum-seekers are staying.
Volunteers tell ABC-7 that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement drops off a minimum of 6,500 asylum seekers per week.
Ruben Garcia, the executive director of Annunciation House, said that during the current quarter, which started in October 2018, between 50,000 and 60,000 have come through El Paso. Some of those migrnats are then taken to Las Cruces and Albuquerque.
IF YOU MISSED THE ANNOUNCEMENT LIVE, YOU CAN WATCH THE REPLAY BELOW:
The new hospitality center will cost $30,000 in monthly rent, which does not include utilities. Garcia said the Abundant Living faith Center is paying for the first three months, and the Salvation Army is providing the migrant with three daily meals during the same time frame.
Only half of Casa del Refugiado is being utilized, Garcia said. The families sleep in a large room filled with around 500 cots, and use Red Cross blankets to warmth and as a pillow.
Garcias said he “can’t emphasize how important” help from Borderland faith-based organizations has been.
He said churches from varying denominations are receiving groups of migrants several times a week.
“If you look at the combined faith communities in El Paso, if each one would take in 20, just one day, we would have more than enough space to accommodate all of the refugees.”
The move to the her center is to lessen the overwhelming cost housing migrants at the five hotels the Annunciation House is using.
Click here to contact the Annunciation House.
