Influx of southern border crossings putting strain on NYC, south Texas cities

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Influx of southern border crossings putting strain on NYC, south Texas citiesNew York City is expecting more buses of migrants to arrive Monday and in the coming days as cities along the southern border of the United States are seeing a major surge in illeg

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- New York City is expecting more buses of migrants to arrive Monday and in the coming days as cities along the southern border of the United States are seeing a major surge in illegal crossings.

And while Title 42 may still be in effect for now, it hasn't kept people fleeing poverty and violence in Latin America from making the dangerous journey through Mexico, over the southern border.

The Trump-era rule allowed border patrol to turn away illegal migrants to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The rule has resulted in the expulsion of more than 2 million asylum seekers since 2020.

Nineteen Republican-led states plan to file an appeal with the Supreme Court arguing Title 42 should remain in place.

"If the courts don't intervene and put a halt to removal of title 42 it will be total chaos," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

The city of El Paso has declared a state of emergency as officials are scrambling to find shelter for thousands of asylum seekers.

"We saw 2,500 in the past six, seven days," El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D'Agostino said. "We can't imagine what it's going to be that's doubling the flow."

Last week a U.S. Court of appeals panel in Washington blocked a challenge from the 19 Republican-led states to the rule's expiration date of December 21, leaving border communities looking at their options.

"I don't think that getting all the money in the world right now would even help us, because we just don't have the manpower, we don't have the facilities," said El Paso City Representative Claudia Rodriguez.

New York City Council is set to hold a hearing on how the city will handle the buses expected to arrive Monday and the rest of this week.

Mayor Eric Adams warned he expects to receive more than 1,000 asylum seekers each week.

"Our shelter system is full, and we are nearly out of money, staff, and space," read a statement released by the mayor. "Truth be told, if corrective measures are not taken soon, we may very well be forced to cut or curtail programs new yorkers rely on."

A temporary shelter was built on Randall's Island to act as temporary housing for asylum seekers before they found shelter and jobs. It has since been removed.

Mayor Adams said his requests for assistance from the federal government have been mostly ignored.

The White House insists there's a, "robust effort underway to manage the border in a safe, orderly, and humane way when title 42 lifts."

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