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By Office of the Governor
SANTA TERESA — Secretary Jackie White of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management visited key stakeholders involved in the current humanitarian crisis on the border as part of an ongoing evaluation of security and humanitarian needs.
White visited a nonprofit shelter in Las Cruces on Tuesday where migrants are temporarily placed after being processed and released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. There White spoke with volunteer coordinators, medical professionals, and asylum seekers who are fleeing with their children from violence in their native countries.
On Wednesday White met with leaders of nonprofit organizations in the borderlands that operate in both Texas and New Mexico. These groups have taken on the burden of temporarily housing and assisting migrant family units as they travel to reunite with sponsors. Following that meeting, White also met with Aaron A. Hull, Border Patrol Chief of the El Paso Sector, which includes the state of New Mexico.
“We understand the optics of immigration are changing as more vulnerable parents and children seek asylum at our borders. The resources at the federal level and within nonprofits are reaching their limits. To ensure the safety and due process of every individual, we are looking at gaps that can be filled within the system, and we are evaluating how and where we can step in given the Border Patrol announcements today,” White said.
