by Jennie Taer
Detroit has become overwhelmed by a surge in migrants needing shelter, according to The Detroit News.
Shelters supporting migrants in Detroit say they’re working long hours with little resources to help, according to The Detroit News. The city is experiencing a surge amid record encounters of migrants crossing the southern border illegally.
Border Patrol recorded more than 2.2 million encounters of migrants crossing illegally in fiscal year 2022 and more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023, according to federal data.
Freedom House Detroit, which provides shelter, has seen the numbers of migrants needing assistance more than double and has had to transfer them to hotels and other shelters, according to The Detroit News. The shelter has space for 50 people, but is supporting 74.
“We do not have beds for all that need them,” Elizabeth Orozco-Vasquez, executive director of Freedom House Detroit, said.
The shelter also provides medical and English classes, according to The Detroit News.
The city is not prepared for continued migrant arrivals, according to The Detroit News.
“We knew this was an issue, but not to this depth,” Wayne State University Professor Hayg Oshagan, who is a member of the city’s Immigration Task Force, said. “Where do they go? Where do they sleep? They have no way of seeking or receiving help. Freedom House (a program that supports refugees) has quadrupled its capacity. All around, it’s difficult, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen and what the solution is.”
Democratic mayors in New York City, Denver and Chicago joined forces on Wednesday to call for more support from the federal government in handling the surge of migrants arriving to their cities.
“We have reached a critical point in this mission that absent real, significant intervention immediately, our local economies are not designed and built to respond to this type of crisis. We are literally building a system as we go along,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said during the joint press conference.
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Jennie Taer is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
