How the City of Houston is preparing for the end of Title 42

KHOU 11
Author: Adam Bennett
Published: 6:56 PM CDT May 11, 2023
Updated: 3:17 AM CDT May 12, 2023

HOUSTON — A bus carrying people from El Paso is expected to arrive in Houston just hours after Title 42 ends.

Those people will be taken to a shelter run by Catholic Charities, which is a shelter that offers migrants a place to get food, clothing, toiletries and a place to rest before flying to their final destination in the United States.

Nonprofits in Houston, and at the border, are helping the federal government with a lot of heavy lifting.

In fact, the City of Houston wishes it could do more.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, "The City of Houston is considering options to provide support, but lacks sufficient resources to meet the overwhelming needs of the migrant community."

The statement went on to read that the city is waiting to see what resources the federal government will provide before determining how it can assist.

Since 1980, Casa Juan Diego in Houston has welcomed waves of newcomers from other nations to the Bayou City.

“In the last few weeks, it’s doubled and tripled from what we were having,” director Louise Zwick said on Thursday.

Zwick said their guests were from Venezuela, Colombia, and several African countries.

“Many have come through the jungle and suffered very much on their journey,” Zwick said. “They have trauma. This is a place to be at peace and relax and get started.”

Besides food, shelter and medical aid, Zwick said Casa Juan Diego helps migrants who want to stay in Houston with rent.

Those who don't have plans to stay in Houston eventually end up at Catholic Charities’ Houston Transfer Center alongside buses coming directly from agencies in El Paso and Eagle Pass.

“It’s much more affordable to fly out of Houston,” said Karina Hernandez, director of the transit center. “They still end up saving money flying out of Houston compared to flying out of El Paso.”

A man at the shelter Thursday traveled from Venezuela, fleeing political instability and extreme poverty.

“It took nine months, but thank God we made it,” the man said in Spanish.

When asked about his message to people currently making the journey to the U.S., he replied, “Believe in God. God exists. Don’t abandon your dreams. Keep moving forward.”

Hernandez said Catholic Charities Houston Transit Center’s remaining $1 million in FEMA funds should keep it running for another two to three months.

“With the number of migrants, especially coming from Eagle Pass, we notice that a lot of them need financial help with their flight tickets,” Hernandez said. “So, we’re seeing an increase in that. Therefore, we’re seeing that maybe the money’s gonna go by a little bit faster than what we thought.”

Casa Juan Diego put a list of needs on their website for anyone wanting to help.

“We need blankets,” Zwick said. “We need bed pillows. We need bath towels. We need baby wipes for the new babies that are gonna be born next week. Lots of practical things like that. Rice and beans and fresh fruit.”