Migrant surge overwhelms El Paso authorities, shelters

Immigrant families separated by the international border between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico meet for "Hugs Not Walls" on January 28, 2017. File Photo by Alejandro Bringas/EPA

EL PASO, Texas, March 22 (UPI) — U.S. immigration authorities expect to release thousands of apprehended migrants into this West Texas city starting today, straining shelters’ temporary housing capacity and forcing city officials to seek volunteers so the migrants do not end up sleeping on the street.

Authorities did not explain why migrant numbers are surging, but Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, has 3,000 migrants staying in already full shelters and waiting to cross into the United States. The director of Ciudad Juarez’s migrant shelter recently turned to social media to urge migrants to stop traveling to the border city because there is not enough temporary housing.

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