The city of McAllen clarified Wednesday that the city will not be issuing temporary identification to migrants to allow them to board flights out of the city’s airport.
The statement from the city came after a local news outlet reported Tuesday that the city would be doing so because of the belief that migrants were not being allowed to board flights without identification. That turned out to not be the case, according to City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez.
“It was considered for a very brief time and that was because we were under the impression that immigrants were prohibited from boarding without an ID and that turned out to be not accurate,” Rodriguez said. “It’s actually they’re going to be delayed but they could still board.”
“The issue at hand was that there was not enough personnel at the airport from Border Patrol and we’ve cleared that up,” Rodriguez continued, “we met with Border Patrol today and they’re going to commit to manning the airport as necessary.”
Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The city’s statement issued Wednesday said they would work with U.S. Border Patrol and the TSA to alleviate flight delays.
“The City of McAllen recognizes the myriad challenges that U. S. Border Patrol faces in addressing the migrant situation and the dedication of U. S. Border Patrol employees in addressing those challenges,” the statement read in part. “Thanks to the partnership with and help by the U. S. Border Patrol, the concern will be resolved. U. S. Border Patrol has committed to increased staffing at the McAllen International Airport in order to facilitate the transport of migrants from that location.”
The statement comes on the day Mayor Jim Darling was set to meet with federal officials regarding the release of asylum seekers that began after the Biden Administration put a stop to the Migrant Protection Protocols, a program implemented by the Trump Administration that forced migrants to remain in Mexico while they awaited their immigration court hearings in the U.S.
Darling did not return a request for comment on those talks on Wednesday.
The mayor told city commissioners on Monday that hundreds of migrants were coming through the city on a daily basis, many dropped off at the city’s bus station or the Humanitarian Respite Center run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.
On Monday, Darling said he didn’t know the topic of Wednesday’s meeting but speculated it related to concerns about the health of the people being released into the city and how the city was handling it.
Individuals who come through the respite center are tested for COVID-19.
Darling also told commissioners he had received a call from White House officials concerned about the release of asylum seekers still in the MPP program. The process of allowing those individuals to enter the U.S. is expected to begin on Thursday.
