Number of unaccompanied children has escalated to more than 1,600, and local organizations are struggling to keep up with the demand for assistance
Texas Border Business
On Saturday, October 27, 2018, members of the organization “Lawyers for Migrant Families,” supporters, and concerned citizens of the El Paso area, will gather outside the Tornillo “tent city” to bring awareness to the housing of these children and the challenges to our community created by the expansion of the shelter by the Department of Homeland Security.
The shelter was established in June by the Trump administration to house temporarily 360 unaccompanied children, and by September the bed capacity was increased to 3,800. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, currently, the shelter houses more than 1,600 children, ages 12-17.
The expansion of the shelter has created a huge demand for legal services and living assistance for these minors and their families once they are reunited. Local organizations such as Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Annunciation House, and the immigration legal community are struggling to provide those services with very limited resources.
The non-partisan gathering of members of the “Lawyers for Migrant Families’ at the Tornillo port of entry on Saturday has the objective of bringing attention to the expansion of the shelter and to explain to the community the reality of the migrant children crisis in our area. Some of the participants in the event include retired District Judge Kathleen Olivares; immigration attorney Albert Armendariz, Jr.; the Executive Director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Linda Rivas; the Legal Coordinator of Annunciation House, Taylor Levy; and the Director of Research, Advocacy, and Leadership Development at Hope Border Institute, Camilo Perez Bustillo.
WHO: Members of “Lawyers for Migrant Families” and supporters
WHAT: Gathering Outside Tornillo “Tent City”
WHEN: Saturday, October 27, 2018, at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Tornillo Port of Entry 18051 Island Guadalupe Rd, Fabens, TX 79838
