Homeland Security Secretary to visit El Paso Thursday
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit El Paso on Thursday to meet with local leaders, immigrant advocates and Homeland Security employees.
El Paso congresswoman Veronica Escobar will hold a press conference Thursday regarding his visit.
Escobar's press conference will be held at 11 a.m.
Escobar will be joined by Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security Bennie G. Thompson, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, El Paso County Judge Ricardo A. Samaniego, El Paso Fire Chief and Managing Director for Public Safety Chief Mario D'Agostino, and immigration advocates.
"We really need to sit down at the same table and determine how we can continue to be humanitarian but where it’s not a burden for our own community. It’s sort of what we get all the time and it's unfunded mandates. You know we’re asked to do a tremendous amount. It’s got an impact in our community and then on top of that we’ve got our own challenges," said Samaniego.
Samaniego said that the humanitarian crisis of 2019 was a good reference point but that the challenges they face now are much greater and said this is a totally different ballgame. He said he plans on expressing these concerns to Mayorkas and hopes they can come up with solutions together.
Mayorkas previously visited El Paso in mid-March.
RECOMMENDED: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited El Paso
RECOMMENDED: Las Cruces shelter prepares to welcome migrants to alleviate burden on El Paso
Sign up to receive the topmost interesting stories from in and around our community once a day to your inbox.
