EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Standing across the street from a migrant shelter in South El Paso, two South American asylum-seekers expressed mixed feelings on Texas’ new authority to question and detain migrants.
“The best thing to do is wait for their appointments so they can come in legally,” said Antonio, a Venezuelan migrant released from U.S. immigration custody after passing a credible fear interview that he scheduled on the CBP One app. “I waited for my appointment and, if a policeman stops me, I show him my documents and keep going.”
That’s fine for those proficient in the use of the online tool the Biden administration has set up to discourage asylum-seekers from crossing the border illegally, countered Yandri, a migrant from Ecuador temporarily staying at Sacred Heart Church on Oregon Street. But what about those who are not, and those already on the way to the U.S. that don’t want to expose their families to criminals?
“If they see too much enforcement, people will try another way. They will turn to coyotes (smugglers). They will risk their lives going another way,” Yandri said. “People will look for a way to get into the United States, even if they put their lives in danger.”
The U.S. Supreme Court sparked the debate on Tuesday, by lifting a stay preventing Texas from enforcing a new state law empowering police officers to arrest people who illegally cross the border. The law passed by the conservative majority in the Legislature was born out of frustration with a Biden administration they say not only has failed to rein in illegal immigration but encouraged it in the first place.
The El Paso region’s two members of Congress stand far apart on that point.
“Any implementation of SB4, regardless of duration, is guaranteed to fuel further and more egregious civil rights violations and racial profiling in Latino communities like mine,” said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. “The federal government has sole authority over immigration matters and it’s long past time Congress reforms outdated immigration laws that can both better secure the border and open up legal pathways for immigrants.”
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, sides with those who say Biden created the nation’s raging immigration crisis.
“Texans have had enough of the Biden administration’s failed open border policies,” Gonzales said on Tuesday. “I represent 800 miles of the southern border (and) we are tired of the chaos, destruction, and death this border crisis has caused. SB4 will give Texas the ability to enforce against illegal immigration and do what President Biden refuses to do.”
El Paso’s mayor on Tuesday released a statement saying the city “will always follow state law” but that its priority is protecting public health and safety, not enforcing immigration laws.
Jeffrey, a Mexican migrant also hanging out near Sacred Hearth Church and shelter, said local authorities usually don’t bother asylum-seekers. But he worries that could change.
“People are coming to work and (SB4) impedes that mobility. They’ve already come a long way, and to be received this way is wrong; there are families coming with children. They (authorities) have to show some humanity,” he said.
Across the border in Juarez, Mexico, asylum-seekers like Efren Rivas were caught by surprise.
“I just heard about it and here I am (about to cross),” the 20-year-old Venezuelan said. “It’s going to be hard now with that law.”