Casa De Refugiado closing: What this means for the future of migrants in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas -- Sunday, July 31st is the last day of operation for Casa De Refugiado, a migrant shelter ran by the Annunciation House.
The shelter has been dealing with a myriad of problems including rainwater leakage into the main warehouse, plumbing issues, and perhaps the biggest blow, a lack of volunteers.
El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego spoke with ABC-7 Sunday and he told us many volunteers have quit due to COVID risks. He stated that many of the volunteers are over the age of 55, and that age group is more susceptible to severe infection from the virus.
The closure signals upcoming preparation from the city to deal with an influx of migrants after Title 42 is lifted.
"It's manageable, but we have to be prepared if Title 42 gets lifted, we're looking at 3, 4, 5 thousand migrants a day" said Judge Samaniego.
The shelter only had 700 migrants apprehended Sunday, which happens to be low, but it's not the usual number, and it's expected to go back up when Title 42 is lifted. This is why the county is working on a new migrant "welcome" center, which will deal with processing, and is set to open in mid-August.
With the new facility, Samaniego estimates that "35% of all refugees [will be able to] leave and travel on the same day without having to stay in the shelter."
