El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said the sight of people on downtown streets with temperatures dipping below freezing was the catalyst for the decision.
"That's not the way we want to treat people," Leeser said during a news conference Saturday evening.
He added that the increase of migrants would be"incredible" after Wednesday, when daily apprehensions and street releases could rise as high as 6,000 per day. El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D'Agostino said the state of emergency declaration would give the city more flexibility in operating larger sheltering operations and provide additional transportation for arriving asylum seekers.
The city has requested additional personnel for feeding and housing operations, additional busing operations and state law enforcement.As numbers of migrants continue to ramp up, D'Agostino said, additional state resources will be crucial to ensure there is enough space to shelter those who cannot get out of town immediately.
"We want to make sure we're prepared for that and we can react to that, so this is just the next step to make sure we're prepared," D'Agostino said.
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