By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Volunteers with the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition (VVBHC) are quietly and without fanfare continuing their mission of assisting asylum-seeking immigrants in leaving Del Rio.
Tiffany Burrow, operations director for the VVBHC’s migrant processing center in south Del Rio, spoke about the coalition’s ongoing operations with the 830 Times on April 18.
“So we’re at the mid-way point of April, and our numbers as of today (April 18) are 2,275. Last month we had 5,508, and that was the busiest month we’ve ever had. You never know, though, because the numbers go like this,” Burrow said, moving her hand up and down.
Each morning, Burrow and a cadre of dedicated volunteers arrive at the center and wait for the first group of migrants to arrive, usually dropped off in buses or vans from the Del Rio Border Patrol station.
Burrow explained how the process works.
“In a few minutes, we’re going to be having a drop from the Border Patrol. They’re going to come inside to the orientation room, and everyone will be COVID tested and given a short orientation. We’ll tell them who we are, what their goal is while they’re here, which is to finalize their travel plans and then move them on to ticketing, which means they’ll buy a ticket from Del Rio to San Antonio or their families are buying them tickets for them and sending them the confirmation. We are utilizing our local airport, Greyhound bus, as well as charter buses,” Burrow said.
“As far as charter buses, we’re working with one company, but in addition to charter buses, I’m also using private shuttle companies, if we have a smaller group going directly to the San Antonio airport or directly to the Greyhound (bus terminal in San Antonio),” she added.
Burrow said most of the migrants leaving Del Rio travel first to San Antonio, a larger transportation hub, where more travel options are available.
“There’s a portion also that utilizes our local airport. There aren’t enough seats from our local airport,” Burrow said, adding she is looking forward to the airlines bringing in a larger aircraft to service travelers from Del Rio.
“That will really simplify travel plans for a lot of people,” Burrow added.
Migrants are typically on-site in Del Rio for less than an hour, Burrow said.
“It depends on the timing of the drop (by Border Patrol) and the timing of the departure of the transportation,” she said.
There is usually more than one Border Patrol drop at the processing center everyday, she said.
“It is dependent on what transportation they have available. If they come on large buses, it’s going to be fewer drops, but if they’re coming on vans, it’s going to be fewer drops,” Burrow said.
“Part of the orientation is to let them know we have a bank of landline phones where they can call their loved ones, if their phones didn’t make it across or if their phones are wet, and outside, we have multiple charging stations for their phones,” Burrow said.
“We also have port-a-potties and hand-washing stations. With the increase of volunteers on-site, we’ve been able to use our shower trailer as well,” she added.
“There are also toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene amenities available, and because we’re faith-based, we also have Bibles in multiple languages on-site which are given out to people,” Burrow said.
The volunteers at the center feed the body as well as the soul.
“We also provide some form of snacks, which we try to keep on the nutritious side. Recently, I was able to find a great price on cases of apples, so we had granola bars and fresh apples for our morning groups. We have to be really careful that the snacks don’t have chocolate or anything else that could melt, and then we also have sandwiches and pretzels as well,” Burrow said.
Burrow said the buses slated by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to transport migrants to Washington, D.C., have provided yet another transportation option.
“The state contacted TDEM (Texas Department of Emergency Management), which then contacted the Texas State Guard to mobilize the plan of the state. It is a great option for those who are traveling to the northeast: New York, Pennsylvania. I even had someone go in that direction for Ohio and Kentucky,” Burrow said.
Burrow said the “Abbott buses” are saving migrants who are using them between $250 to $300 in travel costs.
“Once they get there, they are responsible for purchasing their own ticket to their final destination, so if they’re going from D.C. to New York, they’re still going to have to purchase their own ticket between those two locations,” she said.
“The buses are voluntary, and if individuals choose to, they can leave the bus before it reaches D.C. They can, and they have. So if they’re going along, and it makes more sense for them to get off the bus, then they can do that,” Burrow noted.
She added meals available to migrants on the buses are military MREs, meals-ready-to-eat, despite recent news stories that the buses stopped at McDonald’s. Those meals, she said, were paid for by members of a security detail that accompanies each bus.
“It was very kind of them,” Burrow said.
“For the people who make this choice to take these buses, it has been very helpful for them,” Burrow said.
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