By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
The Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition’s migrant processing center in south Del Rio will close this weekend for the first time this year.
The center will be closed Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Tiffany Burrow, director of operations for the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition (VVBHC), told the 830 Times about the closure earlier this week.
“Our work here continues . . . but we are going to take some time off around Christmas. We will be closed on the 24th, 25th and 26th. It’s the first time this entire year that we’re closing. We’ve been going every day, seven days a week, this entire year of 2021,” Burrow said.
“I’m very excited, but that’s going to mean that there’s probably going to be an increase of families that Del Rioans see,” she added.
Burrow said anyone who encounters a migrant family during the Christmas closure of the center should steer them to the Stripes convenience store, 1602 Veterans Blvd., so they can purchase bus tickets to leave the area.
“That’s where they can buy their tickets and meet the Greyhound bus to continue their travels, even during this very, very busy time,” Burrow said.
Burrow said the number of migrants coming through the processing center remains consistently high.
“It’s just a constant, never stopping. There’s been a few days here and there, where we’ve had issues with ICE getting the people here, and some of those days we’ve maybe had some smaller numbers, but mostly, it’s every day, every day,” Burrow said.
She noted the VVBHC recently received a substantial donation from the Victory Church in Atlanta, Ga., specifically to build a substantive weather shelter outside the processing center.
“They came in from Atlanta and wanted to assess our situation here, asked what our greatest need was, and it was definitely shade and protection from rain, so they provided a donation specifically for us to build a covered area, and we have a local contractor who’s doing that,” Burrow said.
She added the best way to give to the VVBHC is still to donate on the group’s web site or on its Facebook page.
She also said over the next few months, the VVBHC would need jackets to hand out to migrant families passing through the area.
“If people want to donate jackets, they should be zippered jackets, and nothing with holes or stains, and no other clothing, because we really don’t have the space for it. But jackets, especially on these cold, cold mornings, are a big request, and we just don’t have enough for everyone,” Burrow said.
She said the center is also running low on food items like the 100 percent juice fruit cups, juice boxes and individual apple sauce cups.
Another new development Burrow announced is that Greyhound is now stopping at the migrant center to pick up ticket holders.
“Greyhound has been working with us and has added a direct pickup at our location,” Burrow said.
She noted the bus company has retired all of the smaller buses and is sending one 50-seat bus to the migrant processing center every day.
“It’s a huge, huge help, because they can direct-buy their ticket or have a family member purchase a ticket for them, and it’s important to say, once again, we are not purchasing tickets for them. We don’t have funding for that. They are responsible for getting their tickets, and they go right from our doors to the steps of the Greyhound bus,” Burrow said.
As for next year, Burrow expects it will be much the same as the old year.
“I’m not anticipating a big change as far as numbers. This is just going to continue on. I think one of the things we’ve noticed is that some of the people who are coming through, some of them don’t have money or access to funding on the spot, and I think the community will see an increase in people staying overnight; not at our location because we are in a city building, and we’re not able to provide overnight shelter and we do not want to take on that responsibility,” Burrow said.
“But I believe the community will see more overnight families in the future,” she added.
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