Mission: Border Hope Opens Larger Migrant Welcoming Center in Eagle Pass
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2023
Mission: Border Hope, a non-profit organization rooted in the United Methodist Church, was rushed into opening its new 20,000 square feet migrant welcoming center in Eagle Pass, Texas as a result of the mass influx of migrants during the week of September 17-22, 2023 at Eagle Pass. Over 7,000 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass during this one week, creating a desperate need for local, state, and federal authorities to work with non-governmental organizations in processing migrants.
Valeria Wheeler, Executive Director of Mission: Border Hope, stated the organization received a telephone call from Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr. to immediately open their new 20,000 square feet facility due to the surge of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River during September 17-22, 2023. The new facility was a week or two away from opening, but Mayor Salinas’s request that it open immediately rushed the grand opening of the new facility while postponing a reception and dinner for its supporters and collaborative government agencies on September 21.
Wheeler told the Eagle Pass Business Journal that between 1,000 to 1.200 migrants were received on its opening day of Thursday, September 21, 2023. Of these, approximately 800-900 migrants were welcomed and transported out of the community on charter buses to destinations outside the state of Texas such as Washington, D. C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Illinois, and other cities throughout the United States. Only about 180-200 migrants remained overnight on September 21 to await transportation the following day of September 22nd.
Migrants are provided a welcoming orientation as to where they are located, where they want to go and how to get there, provided showers, food, clothing, and minor medical treatment temporarily until they find transportation to their destinations within the United States.
Mission: Border Hope has assisted over 200,000 migrants in the past years and has had to grow due to the increased number of migrants crossing through Eagle Pass.
Mission: Border Hope is sponsored by the First United Methodist Church of Eagle Pass as well as the United Methodist Church. First United Methodist Church is under the pastoral and spiritual leadership of Pastor Javier Leyva.
The new Mission: Border Hope migrant processing center is located at 425 South Monroe Street, Eagle Pass, Texas 78852.
