El Paso, Texas (KVIA) — The number of immigrants walking the streets of downtown El Paso continues to decline.
Officials say the number of people released onto the streets dropped even before the president announced he was coming to El Paso.
It’s still packed, but the streets are noticeably sparse compared to just a few weeks ago.
During the first week of January, agents in the El Paso area encountered an average of 759 migrants per day, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.
For comparison, Border Patrol said they encountered an average of about 1,800 migrants per day in December.
About 200 migrants have been returning home each day in recent days, according to the Mexican Immigration Service. Of these, about 80 migrants are being held in local shelters.
A holy-minded pastor hinted that the numbers seemed to confirm what he himself had seen.
Rafael Garcia, pastor of the Church of the Sacred Heart, said: “I think it’s pretty low these days. Maybe more people will show up later, I don’t know, but the numbers I’m seeing right now are pretty low. It’s less,” he said.
