Omahans greet bus from U.S. southern border

OMAHA — A charter bus carrying 39 asylum seekers from seven countries arrived Tuesday in Omaha, where local volunteers temporarily will host the group that was part of an overflow at the U.S. border.

The Omaha team had been preparing for weeks for the men, women and children sent by a faith-based shelter in the border city of El Paso, Texas.

Humanitarian groups in that area have been overwhelmed by the influx of border-crossers seeking asylum in the U.S. and have reached out to advocates in other states to provide refuge.

“They’re safe — they’ll be well cared for and well fed,” Tom Hoarty, a retired lawyer heading the private Omaha effort, said after the migrants got off the red American charter bus.