SAN ANTONIO — As migrant numbers crossing at the border continue to add up, so is the cost to care for those individuals. Feeling the pinch right now is the San Antonio Migrant Resource Center.
Congressman Henry Cuellar has been fighting for funding to help border communities and non-profits for nearly a decade. This past May he announced nearly $40 million in funding for the San Antonio Center.
"Catholic Charities in San Antonio has gotten millions of dollars to handle this, with this surge they are going to run out of money," said Congressman Cuellar.
Last week, Catholic Charities says more than 5,000 migrants came to the center. This week the center expects about the same numbers.
Congressman Cuellar says those numbers will continue to rise, if no action is taken along the border. He says people that can be deported at the border need to be deported, and images of those deportations need to be shown because he says all were seeing is people streaming in.
Cuellar also says Mexico needs to do more to secure their southern border.
"An agreement was done this weekend with Mexico," he said. "We're hoping they will do what they need to do. This Thursday were meeting with a foreign minister from Mexico, we are certainly going to tell her Mexico needs to do more."
The influx of migrants is causing Catholic Charities to seek additional funding, specifically from the city. The City of San Antonio says they are requesting those funds from Homeland Security.
"There is right now, about $10 million to $11 million dollars that are there, that are available," said Cuellar.
KENS 5 also asked Congressman Cuellar how a government shutdown would affect border operations. He says officers at the border would continue working, but would not be paid until an agreement is reached.
"It doesn't help the morale. If you think about it, they are getting high numbers right now, and then if they don't get paid that doesn't help the morale one bit. So that's why I'm saying, I don't want to see a shutdown, I want to keep government open," he said.