City to open emergency shelter, start bussing migrants to other major cities

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- City of El Paso officials announced Saturday that they will begin using Nations Tobin Recreational Center to house migrants by Saturday night.

The facility can house up to 400 people.

Officials also announced will also be chartering five buses to New York City, Chicago, and Denver Saturday with the help of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said that these developments are in response to the number of migrants they have seen coming into the El Paso Sector.

He said that they have housed 7,000 migrants within the last 10 days in El Paso shelters.

Officials said that they only planned on using Nations Tobin if it was absolutely necessary.

Mayor Leeser said that the city has applied for an additional $10 million in federal funding that he said he feels is necessary to help El Paso deal with the most recent migrant surge.

The city said it is still coordinating with Customs and Border Protection to try to ensure street releases do not happen.