El Paso grapples with surge of migrants, braces for more

By MORGAN LEE
Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in El Paso, Texas, are describing a humanitarian crisis as they grapple with the daily release of roughly 1,600 migrants to local shelters and the streets of the border city in freezing temperatures. They also say they are prepared for even larger immigration flows if Trump-era asylum restrictions end next week as scheduled. El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said Thursday that the city is offering overnight hotel rooms to migrants, whose numbers are exceeding the capacity of local shelters. The Department of Homeland Security is indicating it may release more migrants into the U.S. when Trump-era aslyum restrictions end next week.