Las Cruces migrant shelter still receiving around 90 migrants a week, but is prepared for possible increase

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- "It's unfortunate what's going on right now," said Susana Torres, shelter manager at El Calvario Methodist Church in Las Cruces, in reference to Sunday's incident at the the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso.

"I know they're desperate right now, they're desperate," Torres added.

Hundreds of migrants, many of them Venezuelans, stormed the border at the Paso Del Norte Bridge.

Most of them walked to the bridge to see if the rumors they had heard were true of the border being temporarily opened were true. Rumors are often spread through social media networks and word of mouth among migrants.

Migrants have reported numerous challenges in trying to use the app "SmartLink," which migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua are required to use to take part in the humanitarian parole program.

Torres says she's not sure how this current surge will affect operations at El Calvario's shelter.

"Honestly, because it just happened last night, we're not sure how it will affect us, but we might see numbers increase," said Torres.

The shelter is currently holding migrants from Colombia, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Russia.

The shelter says they're prepared if another surge comes in.

"It's a day-to-day thing, there's days where we get smaller numbers, days where we get larger numbers, but it's a team effort. We all work together," added Torres.

She says the shelter can always use volunteers and donations, and if you're interested, you can call the shelter at (575) 524-1230.