El Paso’s Representative Veronica Escobar wrote to Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro and Ranking Member Chuck Fleishmann on Tuesday, asking them to prioritize allocating funds from the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Package for a processing center there.
Using money from the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Package for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act of 2019, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar wrote that “in 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) purchased 60 acres of land from the City of El Paso as the first step in building a new JPC for the region.”
Existing processing centers are too small and outdated to meet the present demand for immigration clearance. Still, the new facility in El Paso would significantly boost CBP’s and El Paso’s capacity to process migrants efficiently.
CBP has 60 acres of land but no money to build on since 2019. The financing had to be repackaged and re-appropriated to avoid being lost.
And she went on to say, “With additional funding for JPCs available in the final FY23 appropriations bill, I would like to stress the importance of affording communities that consistently welcome migrants into their cities, like El Paso, the opportunity to modernize outdated infrastructure that no longer meets the challenges presented by the new normal of 21st-century immigration.”
El Paso’s local government and other interested parties have long helped the federal government deal with shifting immigration issues.
El Paso has been a pillar of support for the federal government for decades, despite the latter’s inability to stem the flow of migrants across the southern border.
Congress has neglected to update our outmoded immigration laws and has instead focused on border security for decades.
It’s becoming increasingly untenable as political unrest and worsening weather patterns in tropical countries are vital drivers of immigration.
In the upcoming fiscal year (FY23), I strongly recommend that the Committee seriously consider El Paso as a possible recipient of JPC funds.
She said, “Thank you for considering my request as you work to complete the final FY23 appropriations bill.”
By December 21st, Title 42 will no longer be in effect.
Source: KFOXTV.com