McALLEN — Facing pressure to find more shelter space for the growing number of migrants released from federal custody, McAllen city commissioners took action late Tuesday evening to approve a new emergency shelter site for migrants with COVID-19.

Adding capacity to Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley’s respite center in downtown McAllen, this temporary site was at first located on the city’s property that sits on the southeast corner of 23rd Street and Trophy Drive, at least until Wednesday evening.

According to a city statement, the site is now located at “Hidalgo County property near CBP operations.” It’s unclear where exactly the new tent facility is now located.

Mayor Javier Villalobos, however, said the shelter will be near Border Patrol authorities in the vicinity of the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge.

Villalobos said the city received “a lot” of complaints from residents concerned with the emergency shelter, which accommodates the overflow migrants released from federal custody to the respite center and who test positive for COVID-19.

The mayor further expressed gratitude to Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez and Precinct 3 county Commissioner Everado “Ever” Villarreal for their help relocating the site.

In a city statement Wednesday night, it was further noted that the city commission made the decision to relocate the site to “protect public health and safety.”

“Yesterday was a temporary thing,” Villalobos said of the initial site being located on 23rd and Trophy in town. “I know … a lot of people were angry that it had to be done. Like we tell them, at the very end we are going to have people running around aimlessly without direction, without shelter, without food, without direction, and that’s what we don’t want. We want to make sure the immigrants are safe and we definitely want to make sure that our people are safe.”

The tents are Hidalgo County assets constructed by McAllen city staff. They are operational and can hold up to 260 people released from federal custody who test positive for COVID-19.

The Monitor reported the search last week when Sister Norma Pimentel, CCRGV executive director, said they reached capacity. 

Citing an “overwhelming number of immigrants stranded in McAllen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” commissioners approved the measure by a majority vote during a budget meeting Tuesday evening.

A 5-1 vote allowed for the creation of the emergency shelter in Commissioner J.J. Zamora’s district, the only member who voted against it.

“They have lawful presence in the country,” Zamora said, but noted “no one can hold them in the shelter whether it be at the hotel or the respite center. Once they’re out, they’re out.” 

Zamora said he was concerned migrants staying at the shelter could expose other people to COVID-19. Although the emergency shelter is temporary, 

“I’m opposed to tents, specifically, and any emergency shelter location that is not walls with a room to house them,” he clarified. “Every time we increase capacity to shelter, it becomes manageable. But at some point you’re going to be throwing so many resources to keep it manageable that we end up masking the problem.”

The number of migrants released by the federal government to the respite center increased sharply in mid-July when they received about 1,700, according to information obtained through a public information request. The respite center has a capacity of about 1,200, but they work with other churches and nongovernmental organizations to provide overflow accommodations.

The numbers increased by August when the federal government, facing challenges to its own capacity, started to release over 1,900 people daily, according to a city news release issued early Wednesday.

Hotels are also used to quarantine migrants, though the nearly year-old practice came under scrutiny last month when a quarantined family bought food at a local restaurant in La Joya

Commissioner Zamora said his decision to oppose the shelters reflects that of his constituents who reached out to him Wednesday. While he did not propose another solution, he said the solution is not a local responsibility.

“If they’re going to be housed, they should be housed in federal buildings, on federal property using federal employees, using federal resources. That’s the solution I’m looking for,” Zamora said.

City staff was also instructed to identify additional locations for emergency shelter should the need arise.

The decision was made a day after Villalobos and Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez issued disaster declarations that will enable them to request federal relief for expenses made in response to the logistical support offered to migrants released from federal custody.

Regarding the concerns Villalobos said the city fielded over the emergency shelter, he directed residents to look to D.C.

“They were very angry and they were blaming our commission, my commission,” Villalobos said Wednesday. “If you are going to put the blame, put the blame on where it belongs, on Washington. Call your president, call Congress, call the Senate — they are the ones that are responsible. What we have are not because of our actions.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify information about how the commission voted.