Director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in El Paso, TX, John Martin said on Monday’s episode of MSNBC’s “José Daz-Balart” that the city is experiencing “a humanitarian crisis,” “we’ve never seen the situation as critical,” and “we’re overwhelmed.”
In addition, Martin said they are “expecting the worst” now that Title 42 has been revoked. Actually, Martin said, “We’re so swamped that it’s not even funny. We work with multiple local organizations. Every emergency shelter is at or near capacity; for instance, at the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, we’ve had 200 people staying inside and as many as 810 people camping in the alley. That’s why you call it a “humanitarian crisis. ”
He said, “We first saw the surge a week and a half ago, and since then it’s grown enormously. And it’s before Title 42 was repealed, so we’re bracing for the worst. Depending on who you ask, we’ve heard estimates ranging from 500 to 1,000 to 1,500. We’ve run into issues because our group includes those who have been through the processing before as well as others who haven’t, and they are all trying to use the CBP One app or submit their applications online. However, we have discovered that if you go through the online method, also known as “pro se, you won’t be able to travel. That means they’ll be remaining in El Paso yet again.
Martin summed up the gravity of the situation, saying, “In all honesty, even at the height of what we saw in the latter part of 2022, we’ve never seen the situation as critical as what you’ve got here.”