The migrant crisis is putting a strain on the resources and economies of U.S. border cities. Now, those cities are seeking help from communities and organizations across the country.
One group in Omaha, Nebraska, has been doing what it can to ease the burden on El Paso, Texas, which officials say has been stretched beyond capacity.
El Paso accounts for 20% of all illegal entries at the southern border for fiscal year 2023. Border Patrol agents apprehended over 425,000 migrants who crossed into El Paso, marking a 38% increase from the previous year.
The city had to establish emergency “overflow” shelters and house thousands of migrants in local hotels, but it eventually reached a breaking point.
“In the last 30 days, we have sheltered over 16,000 people who might have otherwise been on the streets in El Paso, and we’ve provided over 40,000 meals. We want to ensure we treat people in the right manner,” Mayor Oscar Leeser said.
The majority of these migrants are awaiting deportation hearings, some of which could be years away.
One Texas-based shelter sought assistance from Omaha to provide temporary accommodation and support for these families while they make arrangements for their legal proceedings.
“Omaha Welcomes the Stranger” was established just one year ago in response to the significant increase in asylum-seekers in El Paso.
“We received an inquiry from a man named Ruben Garcia at Annunciation House, who said that, at that time, he worked in El Paso, Texas, and there were more people coming across the border than the local shelters could accommodate for temporary hospitality,” said Tom Hoarty, a board member at Omaha Welcomes the Stranger. “He asked if it would be possible for us to receive some of those asylum-seekers here in Omaha and give them a temporary place to stay while they made their arrangements to go to other parts of the country.”
Last year, Omaha Welcomes the Stranger welcomed 39 asylum-seekers who arrived by bus from El Paso. The organization focuses on assisting families, including parents and children of various ages.
“Margaret and I volunteered in 2019 and 2021, and so we became familiar with the process at the local shelter in El Paso,” Hoarty said. “We saw the faces of the people, and once you’ve talked to the people and seen them face-to-face, and you’ve seen their children, you think ‘those children don’t look a whole lot different from my grandchildren. Why shouldn’t they have the opportunity to have a safe place to live?’”
Recently, more families are coming from Venezuela and often lack friends or sponsors in the United States. This makes the support that the organization offers even more crucial. According to the El Paso city website, Venezuelan nationals comprise 70% of the migrant population.
“Well, if the need arises for us to take a larger group of people like it did a year ago, we’re prepared to do that.” Hoarty said. “And we have a network of volunteers who have agreed to help us.”
For migrants seeking permanent residency, Hoarty believes that many would be more than willing to fill employment roles if given the opportunity.
“I think it’s important to realize that our country was built on the concept of immigration.” Hoarty said. “As you drive down any street in Omaha, you see signs that say ‘we’re hiring’ or ‘help wanted.’ We think there are a lot of people who would be more than happy to fill those jobs. So we try to do what we can to place people in situations where they can do that.”
The impacts of migration on small cities are intricate. Omaha Welcomes the Stranger represents a small-scale, privately funded initiative aimed at providing support to asylum-seekers. The organization is currently helping six families during their immigration process, and Hoarty says they are ready in case they are called on again.
We’re prepared to take a few families, as many as we can, and try to help them find places to live and work in Omaha.
Tom Hoarty, Omaha Welcomes the Stranger
“We receive donations from individuals across the region,” Hoarty said. “If anyone is interested in contributing, they can contact us through St. Pius the 10th Catholic Church in Omaha, and the church will forward the donation to us.”
