El Paso declares state of emergency as US-Mexico border crossings surge: 'Not safe'

Officials in the City of El Paso, Texas have declared a state of emergency as border crossings have overwhelmed law enforcement personnel.

Mayor Oscar Leeser announced the state of emergency during a press conference Saturday, saying he could no longer keep residents safe.

"I said from the beginning that I would call it when I felt that either our asylum seekers or community were not safe," Leeser said, according to KFOX14.

El Paso, a town located along the U.S.-Mexico border, continues to witness an influx of migrants into its community. It is also expecting a surge of migrants when Title 42, a Trump-era immigration policy that reduced the number of asylum seekers the U.S. would allow under the COVID pandemic, expires on Dec. 21.