El Paso declares a state of disaster to keep shelters open as migrants continue to flood across the border into the city as President Biden blasts Donald Trump in State of the Union for stopping him tackling immigration reform

A border town inundated with 900 immigrants a day has extended a state of emergency to keep shelters open.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser extended the disaster declaration in the Texas city on Thursday for a fourth time as the crisis showed no signs of ending.

Lesser's declaration has to be re-signed every week after the city council failed to renew a longer-term ordinance due to one holdout councilman.

The disaster was extended on the same day President Joe Biden tore into Congressional Republicans for blocking a bipartisan immigration bill during his State of the Union speech.

Biden accused his likely election opponent Donald Trump of pressuring Republicans to reject the legislation that he argued would have relieved the border crisis.

El Paso, a Texas border town inundated with 900 immigrants a day, has extended a state of emergency to keep shelters open

Lesser said the declaration was needed to maintain emergency plans that allowed public buildings to be used as shelters, and helped charities deliver aid.

'The City of El Paso remains unwavering in its dedication to addressing the pressing humanitarian and public safety issues brought about by the influx of migrants,' he said.

'We recognize the importance of collaborative efforts with the NGOs and humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to those in need, which is why I intend to sign the local Disaster Declaration. 

'The impending disaster declaration is a crucial step in mobilizing essential resources and ensuring a coordinated response to the challenges we face in our community.'

El Paso's longer disaster declaration must be unanimously approved by the council, and Josh Acevedo single-handedly blocked it last month.

He said the declaration was not clear enough about how long National Guardsmen and state troopers would be stationed in the city.

'There is not clarity around the exact amount of state resources and law enforcement personnel that have been invited to our community because of these declarations,' he said.

Acevedo said he could change his mind if there was more transparency around certain details in the declaration.

The mayor said the declaration was needed to maintain emergency plans that allowed public buildings to be used as shelters, and helped charities deliver aid

President Joe Biden tore into Congressional Republicans for blocking a bipartisan immigration bill during his State of the Union speech

Biden used part of his State of the Union address to Congress to speak about the border crisis, mostly calling on Republicans to pass the immigration bill.

Senators from both parties hammered out a deal that would have toughened border policies and provided funding to slash wait times for asylum hearing to six months, among other measures.

However, House Republicans killed the bill under pressure from Trump, who wanted to use the issue to clobber his opponent in the election campaign.

'If my predecessor's watching instead of paying politics and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the Congress to pass it. We can do it together,' he said.

'I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoned in the blood of our country. I will not separate families. I will not.'

Biden argued the bill would have lessened the 'incentive' for immigrants to pay people smugglers $8,000 to sneak them over the border.

Migrants are often released into the US after surrendering to border patrol, and don't face a hearing on their asylum claims for years.

He argued the bill would reduce that time to six months or even six weeks, dissuading migrants who were not genuine refugees from trying their luck.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser extended the disaster declaration in the Texas city on Thursday for a fourth time as the crisis showed no signs of ending

Groups of migrants of different nationalities arrive at the Rio Grande, to cross it and surrender to the American authorities in El Paso

Hammering Biden on the border has been a successful political issue for Trump. Two weeks ago, the men made dueling trips to the southern border to examine the situation there.

Biden went to Brownsville, Texas, where border crossings are down. Trump went to Eagle Pass, where it was still a huge problem.

'We can fight about fixing the border, or we can fix it. I'm ready to fix it,' he said. 'Send me the border bill. Now.'

Border crossings peaked at about 10,000 over the middle of winter, most notably at Eagle Pass, before easing in recent weeks.

El Paso Border Patrol officer Claudio Herrera said numbers were expected to rise as the weather got warmer, but they were lower than the previous year.

'Overall, the encounters here in El Paso Sector have significantly decreased. We're talking about, approximately, a 50 percent decrease compared to the previous fiscal year, 2023,' he said. 

Groups of migrants of different nationalities arrive at the border fence before crossing into the US near El Paso

The City of El Paso's website explained about 70 percent of asylum-seekers were from Venezuela, fleeing political and economic turmoil

Opportunity Center for the Homeless deputy director John Martin said numbers in homeless shelters were rising.

'I think there is a level of concern among all the shelters at this point. And we share the same level of concern. But we're going to continue to operate in the manner that we have for the last 30 years,' he told ABC news. 

'We're starting to see a few trends going up at this point, but nothing to be concerned with at this time.

'The numbers seem to be increasing as it relates to the number of encounters -- those currently in custody -- as well as the number of community releases that are being coordinated.'

The City of El Paso's website explained about 70 percent of asylum-seekers were from Venezuela, fleeing political and economic turmoil.

'[The city] places our priority on the individual migrant, providing food and water, connectivity, transportation assistance, and temporary shelter if needed,' it read.

'The people crossing come from all parts of the world to escape economic devastation and extreme crime.'