Houston non-profit buses migrants to help County of El Paso
Published: Wed, 12/07/22
Houston non-profit buses migrants to help County of El Paso
Migrants in downtown El Paso near Greyhound bus station on Monday, September 12, 2022.
Credit: KFOX14/CBS4
CBS4
by Jhovani Carrillo
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The City of El Paso has not been busing migrants out of the city for weeks now but a non-profit from Houston is busing migrants from El Paso to Houston.
Since October busloads of migrants have left El Paso county's processing center to Houston almost on a daily basis.
Before getting on the bus the county helps set up travel arrangements for migrants to arrive at the Houston airport or bus station to get to their final destination.
Karina Hernandez is the director of community relations for the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
“We started off with two a week. Then we went up to four a week and now we are at one every day, meaning Monday through Friday," said Hernandez.
Hernandez said the catholic charities applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help out with the migrant situation in Houston.
The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection once the funds were available.
CBP then connected them to the county of El Paso.
“They actually connected us to El Paso to see how we could be of support because we were informed that El Paso, again, y’all are very busy, even short on buses because you guys are utilizing a lot of them," said Hernandez.
Hernandez said they have chartered more than 25 buses filled with about 52 migrants a day out of El Paso since early October.
Hernandez said the buses leave El Paso in the afternoon and arrive at Houston in the morning.
Migrants are then placed into hotel rooms so they can eat, sleep, bathe, change clothing or spend the night if their flight doesn't leave the same day.
“The majority leave the same day," said Hernandez. “We are able to offer a few nights stay if need, but the goal is that we get the arrivals as quickly as possible to their family, and friends."
Hernandez said organizations can also help migrants pay for their flights if needed.
She said that everything they are able to do is done with about $3 million that FEMA gave them.
“This is the way we can help here in Houston," she said.
The county of El Paso is currently working to set up a similar system with another NGO in Dallas.