Son of former Gateway Hotel resident shares the details of his mother’s relocation

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- In a news conference last Thursday, officials with the City of El Paso called the handling of the Gateway Hotel's closure a "learning opportunity."

Mayor Oscar Leeser firmly stated at the conference that "no one dropped the ball" regarding the hotel. The County of El Paso, meanwhile, is pursuing a lawsuit against the city over its handling of the hotel. In the lawsuit, the county alleges that the city allowed the owner to operate the Gateway without an occupancy permit, and that law enforcement agencies received upward of 700 calls regarding the hotel. The lawsuit also alleges that Tren de Aragua gang members were staying in the Gateway.

Sean Fischer tells ABC-7 that he visited his mother, a resident at the Gateway Hotel, multiple times over the past few years.

"It was pretty obvious it's kind of a deplorable state of condition and had been, at least for the three times I had visited there," Fischer told ABC-7.

A nonprofit organization member assisted Fischer's mother in finding a temporary place to live when residents were forced move out of the hotel after the county's lawsuit went public. Fischer says she was "bewildered" when she was told she would have to leave the hotel in just a few days.

"She was told to evacuate her room just with a change of clothes, toiletries, maybe some cash and I.D. and she was to be brought to a homeless shelter," Fischer said. "She was not homeless up until that moment."

Fischer also shared many questions he had regarding the process of closing the hotel.

ABC-7 will speak to El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser today to further discuss the city's claims. Watch our evening newscasts to hear the mayor's responses.