City provides office space for non-profits aiding asylum seekers

Brownsville City Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding or MOU at a special city commission meeting that will provide office space in the downtown area for the several non-profits aiding asylum seekers who are arriving in Brownsville.

The office will be located in a building near the Casa Nylon that has been used in the past by the contractor of the parking garage located in the downtown area as an office space, Ramiro Gonzalez, director of community affairs for the city, said. The MOU states it is a temporary help that will renew automatically for 30 days until a termination notice is extended by the city manager.

The MOU was approved Tuesday.

The non-profits that will be using the space are Team Brownsville, Global Response Management, Angry Tias and Abuelas, Asylum Seekers Support, ProBar and Good Neighbor Settlement House. The MOU also states the city manager has the authority to add more non-profits if they need the office space.

“Given the current influx in the MPP (Migrant Protection Protocols) and all the situation happening around immigration, the NGO’s [non-governmental organizations] operating in the City of Brownsville requested to see if the city could provide a space for them to operate,” Gonzalez said.

“This would be solely for the organizations, so that they would have an office space, and they could easily be across the street from the bus station. And our Emergency Management team could call on them if they need something, if people arrive and they need food, legal help, any type of assistance from NGO’s is always appreciated.”

Mayor Trey Mendez asked if this would also serve as an overnight shelter for the asylum seekers. Gonzalez said this will only be used for the non-profits as an office space and will not be used as a temporary shelter.

“It is temporary in nature, we hope, and that’s why we kind of built it that way,” Gonzalez said. “This is specifically for operations of the NGO’s.”

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