Catholic Charities is paying for bus and train tickets for those who say they cannot afford them. Since early June, the organization said it has paid for 300 plane tickets for Congolese and Angolans alone.

While many Central Americans show up having final destinations in mind, with family members in the country who can pay for their tickets and put them up, African families' plans are not always so clearly defined.

The city said the top destination so far for Congolese families is Portland, Maine, followed by New York City and Buffalo, New York.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/western-unions-being-cleaned-out-as-migrants-pass-through-one-texas-city 

by Anna Giaritelli | June 22, 2019 12:11 AM
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — People assisting the thousands of migrants who have arrived in San Antonio after being released from federal custody say Western Unions downtown are regularly running out of cash as a result of the high number of withdrawals being made by emigrants from Central American and African nations.

“Western Union has run out for the past two-and-a-half months," said Khalid Chini, a local resident and volunteer at the migrant resource center downtown. "All the surrounding area, the Western Unions, they run out of money.”

Chini, a bartender by night, said that during his daytime volunteer shifts, he is often assigned to go with individuals to stores that offer Western Union cash withdrawal services. Chini and others go along for security purposes, as well as to translate for the Congolese, who speak French.

Hundreds of asylum-seekers from Central Africa have arrived in San Antonio from the border over the past three weeks. Since early June, stores that offer Western Union services are running out of money at faster rates because more migrants, spurred by a surge of people from Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are attempting to make withdrawals as they pass through the city on the way to their final destinations.

Western Union's vice president for global communications said the company was unaware of any shortage. “It is business as usual for Western Union and we have no reports to validate the concerns you raise,” spokeswoman Pia De Lima wrote in an email.

Roland Martinez, a spokesman for the city’s human services department, confirmed the frequent shortages and said some people are taking out money to buy bus or plane tickets to get out of town.

Chini said some of the people he has escorted wanted to withdraw a lot more money than the cost of a plane ticket.

“They’re getting money like you would not believe,” he said. “I went with a guy — he wants to withdraw $25,000.”

Chini said he usually escorts people to a Walgreens on East Houston Street, HEB grocery store on North New Braunfels Avenue, or a Walgreens on West Cypress Street. He said it is now normal to visit one of those three locations downtown and be told they are out of money by midday. Some stores now call the center to tell them when they are out, he said.

The Walgreens on Houston Street told the Washington Examiner one evening this week it was out of money and that it was now a regular occurrence but did not specify when it began.

“Currently right now we’re out of money for Western Union — just for today. We have a limit for each of how much we can take out. You have to come in the morning, probably, to make sure,” an employee said during a store visit.

The two Walgreens locations allow withdrawals of up to $1,000. HEB’s limits fluctuate, but this location confirmed it can accommodate requests of up to $7,500 each, so long as it still has enough cash to fulfill them that day. Some stores that offer Western Union services, including Walgreens, have a daily cap on the amount they will disperse to customers in one day.

“I went with this guy. He just withdraw $800. He withdraw and paid for a ticket,” said Chini.

Those with money are staying at Travis Park Church downtown one night before heading out to their final destinations the following day.

Catholic Charities is paying for bus and train tickets for those who say they cannot afford them. Since early June, the organization said it has paid for 300 plane tickets for Congolese and Angolans alone.

While many Central Americans show up having final destinations in mind, with family members in the country who can pay for their tickets and put them up, African families' plans are not always so clearly defined. The city said the top destination so far for Congolese families is Portland, Maine, followed by New York City and Buffalo, New York.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.