Brownsville, Texas, Apr 26, 2019 / 18:00 pm
After a close vote, McAllen, Texas officials approved a new downtown location for a Catholic immigration relief center that was ordered by the city in February to leave its location in a residential neighborhood.
On Monday, the city commissioners voted 2-3 to move the Respite Center of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley during a contentious public meeting in the border city of less than 150,000. The center will have to move to a new location downtown by June 15.
Following complaints from several residents, the immigrant service center was notified earlier this year that it would have to abandon its current location at a former nursing home. Neighbors claimed that foot trafficking from the Respite Center was disturbing the area's peace.
Before moving to the residential area, the center had functioned downtown for a few years - first at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and then at a rented space near the courthouse.
Overseen by Sister Norma Pimentel, the Respite Center has helped an estimated 150,000 migrants since 2014, sometimes up to 300 a day. Most of the clients are women and children who are waiting on court dates in asylum hearings.
The center provides temporary housing to people who often move onto find families or sponsors in cities throughout the US. It also offers food, medical attention, and hygienics. The facility even has a chapel where the clients can pray.