Biden Administration Reportedly Forced Democrat El Paso Mayor Not To Declare Emergency Over Migrant Crisis

The Biden administration reportedly put pressure on El Paso’s Mayor not to declare a state of emergency amid the city’s surge of asylum seekers. The move was deemed as damage control for President Joe Biden’s political image.

According to the New York Post, about three out of eight of El Paso’s City Council have urged Mayor Oscar Leeser to declare a state of emergency as thousands of migrants continue to flock to the city, filling up shelters past their limits, with others being housed in local hotels. Last month, during a private phone call, Leeser was instructed not to issue an emergency declaration. Council member Claudia Rodriguez said Leeser told her that it was the White House who asked him not to proceed with the decision. She added that Leeser assured her that he would declare a state of emergency “if things got worse” however, Leeser did not elaborate on what that meant.

Tony Gonzales, a U.S. Representative whose district covers the rural town and border areas near El Paso, said that he had received similar reports of Biden Administration instructing officials of nearby cities to do the same. Gonzales called this a sleight of hand by the administration, as they pressure local government, leaders to not issue a declaration of emergency and portray as if no crisis is going on. He also mentioned that the White House has done the same thing in other parts of his district, which are also experiencing a large number of migrants seeking refuge.

Leeser declined to speak with the media on the matter but said in a statement that he will not bow to pressure from any side, as he is charged with making decisions that are in the best interest of the people of his city. He also thanked the federal government for providing his city with much-needed assistance.

El Paso is now in the works of a newly set up migrant data dashboard that shows the large numbers of migrants entering the border city. The Migrant Situational Awareness Dashboard, which can be accessed on the city’s website gives a detailed breakdown of the massive numbers El Paso encounters and releases into the community. The data shows that the numbers went from 1,700 releases per week to a whopping 6,800 releases per week during the summer.