El Paso strained by government shutdown, migrant policies

EL PASO, Texas, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A week into the new year, El Paso, Texas, is feeling the twin strains of the U.S. immigration crackdown and the partial shutdown of the federal government.

Customs and Border Patrol agents are working without pay. Asylum seekers are being released into the city, adding to the influx of contract workers at the "tent city" for migrant children in nearby Tornillo, which is slated to close soon.

Add to that anxiety over President Donald Trump's threats to close the border and El Paso is wary of what's coming next.

El Paso in the spotlight

The city of about 700,000 depends on its minutes-from-Mexico location for its bi-national identity. People are sensitive to President Donald Trump's border policies, each one placing El Paso in the spotlight.

Read more: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/01/09/El-Paso-strained-by-government-shutdown-migrant-policies/9231547040928/