Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ Several hundred migrants a day spill out of overcrowded border detention centers that no longer have the bandwidth to handle them. We went to San Antonio to see where they go afterwards. Here’s what we found out. #texas #border bit.ly/2xvNfVb

2/ Many of the migrants end up at a new migrant resource center in San Antonio, hastily opened inside of an old Quiznos to accommodate the influx. The center has served more than 20,000 in the past three months. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

3/ Often, these migrants have no money and no place to go. After his journey to San Antonio, one migrant only had $2 left; he needed to get from there to Portland, Maine by Tuesday to make it to his check-in with immigration officials. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

4/ San Antonio is used to seeing migrants when they are much further along in the asylum process — people who generally know where they’re going and have the means to get there. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

5/ What they’re seeing now is different: migrants who have just crossed into the U.S., typically in the border cities of Eagle Pass or Del Rio, and then are released after two or three days in federal custody. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

6/ They’ve typically spent weeks or even months traveling from their home countries. For many, San Antonio is the first major city outside the border area where they can clean up, sleep and get some help plotting their next move. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

7/ The spillover is hitting smaller towns like Uvalde, about halfway between San Antonio and the border town of Del Rio. The mayor of the town said it doesn’t have the facilities to handle the surge, so the strategy is to bus the migrants to San Antonio. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

8/ The flow of migrants into Del Rio has strained resources there. Part of a neighborhood center is being used as a migrant transition center. The city has spent almost $19,000 in janitorial supplies, building repairs, and other cleaning services so far. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

9/ Many migrants often show up at the center wearing the same clothes and undergarments as when they crossed the border. They need help getting in touch with their families and accessing showers, meals and other basic necessities. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

10/ Since San Antonio opened its shelter on March 30, it has spent more than $194,000 — that doesn’t include more than 13,000 hours of work put in by more than 800 city staffers. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

11/ Financial help is on the way thanks to the emergency $4.6 billion relief bill Congress passed last week — $30 million in the bill is intended to reimburse local communities that have stepped in to fill the void left by an overwhelmed federal government.bit.ly/2xvNfVb

12/ San Antonio recently published a flyer detailing how people can assist — including dropping off supplies at the San Antonio Food Bank, volunteering or sending in donations. bit.ly/2xvNfVb

13/13 The most urgent need right now is financial assistance for travel, which Catholic Charities is handling.

Read the full story: bit.ly/2xvNfVb