City renews emergency declarations for asylum-seekers

The city of El Paso is once again covered by a pair of emergency declarations giving it the authority to open a standalone shelter for asylum-seekers crossing into the city from Mexico.

The El Paso City Council voted unanimously to renew the two declarations after West-Central city Rep. Josh Acevedo shot down one of the ordinances last month over fears that it opened the door for state authorities to deploy Operation Lone Star-style tactics without local input.

However, Acevedo said many of his concerns were allayed over the last few weeks after he met with city officials and the regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Still, he said he was “begrudgingly” voting to support the measure.

“I still have a lot of concerns with this,” Acevedo said during the City Council work session on Monday, March 25. He added that a rolling emergency declaration for a fluctuating crisis was “not good governance.”

The renewal of the city’s emergency ordinances, which first kicked off in December 2022, comes only days after clashes at the U.S.-Mexico border with Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers, where migrants tore down fences and concertina wire barriers.

But with numbers far shy of earlier peaks and the city’s shelter at the former Morehead Middle School deactivated, many still wonder if emergency orders are necessary.

‘In it for the long haul’

Before the City Council voted to renew the ordinances, Ivonne Diaz addressed council members and called on them to reject the emergency declaration and “put aside” Operation Lone Star in El Paso.

Diaz noted that during the City Council’s last meeting on Feb. 26, there was no overflow at local shelters and the city’s migrant dashboard shows no

significant uptick in arrivals.

“Why,” she asked, “do we continue to need the emergency declaration?”

Acevedo expressed a similar sentiment, saying that constituents in District 2 have said “they don’t feel the urgency of a state of emergency.” But waxed pessimistic about the possibilities of getting out from under the orders.

“I don’t see it stopping anytime soon,” he said. “I think we’re in it for the long haul.”

“I don’t think this is a good solution for the long run.”

‘Panic’ and ‘confusion’

For her part, East-Central city Rep. Cassandra Hernandez sought to assure the public that the city’s Office of Emergency Management remains “in full control of the response,” as stipulated in the emergency ordinance.

The ordinance specifically states that the city maintains authority over the local response “separate and apart” from the authority of any other jurisdiction.

Like other council members, Hernandez reported hearing concerns from constituents over high-speed DPS pursuits through their communities. She also said the ongoing confusion over SB 4, which remains in legal limbo, has “permeated all of the migrants making their way here.”

That limbo has led to “desperation” and migrants believe it’s “now or never,” she said.

She called for “more comprehensive outreach” to inform residents, specifically those who live along the U.S.-Mexico border, on what to do if a migrant shows up at their front door or hops a fence into their backyard, situations she said have occurred over the last several weeks.

“I’m really concerned about our residents along the border,” she said. “This isn’t sustainable.”