Ministry at the Border Update February 2024

Recent news reports about the US-Mexico border and the increase of migrants crossing the border may have some of you wondering about our commitment to welcome asylum seekers to the US. A few might be asking if our ministry at the border is legal and if we are serving “illegal” immigrants. Carmen, Elvia, Rose, and I would like to reassure you that our ministry is not only legal but a necessary and loving humanitarian response to the plight of migrants fleeing violence, oppression, unemployment, and hunger in their countries of origin.

You also probably have read or heard that US border towns are overrun with migrants wandering the streets. In McAllen, Texas, that is not true, mostly due to the work of staff and volunteers at the Humanitarian Respite Center (HRC), which is sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Brownsville. Migrants at HRC, where we volunteer four or more days a week, have either crossed the border with the CBP One App, which allows them to request an interview with immigration at a port of entry and start the asylum process, or they have handed themselves over to Immigration on the bridge or US soil with the purpose of requesting asylum. All migrants at HRC have documents from Immigration and a date to attend immigration court in a city near to where their sponsors live.

In Reynosa, Mexico, we join with Franciscan and Mercy sisters and Jesuit priests to minister to migrant families living in the Casa del Migrante, a shelter sponsored by the Daughters of Charity. We encourage the migrants waiting to cross the border to use the CBP One App, even though it may take months to get an interview with Immigration at the Hidalgo Bridge. The families at the Casa del Migrante have food, shelter, and access to physical and mental healthcare. Although about 80% of them were assaulted and/or kidnapped in Reynosa or during their journey to the border, they are safe within the walls of the Casa del Migrante. A longer stay at the Casa del Migrante means that there is time to create community among migrant families, give spiritual and emotional support to adults, and teach children through art and games basic skills that they will need when they finally are able to attend school.

In contrast, Senda de Vida 2 is an encampment that at times has held almost 3,000 migrants. There is not enough food to feed everyone there, so we have used some of our donations to help address the food scarcity. When we visit migrants in Senda 2, we bring a listening ear and a loving heart. Many migrants in Senda 2, as well as those living on the streets of Reynosa, lose hope that they will ever receive an appointment with Immigration using the CBP One App. The fear of being kidnapped, robbed, or physically harmed while waiting impels them to hand themselves over to Immigration.

So… what is happening in terms of numbers of migrants crossing the border? We can only share with you what we have seen. Like many of you, we too wonder what is behind the increase or decrease of migrants crossing the border at any given time of the year. We have been here long enough to know that the population of migrants fluctuates, not unlike that of global migration.

Throughout November and December, there was a surge of migrants crossing the southern border. Since about January 8 that number has decreased, and there are fewer migrants arriving daily at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen. When we asked HRC personnel and others who are knowledgeable of immigration policies why there was an increase followed by a decrease in migrants crossing the border, we were given these possible reasons:

• There was an increase in migrants crossing at the end of 2023 because there was a concern about possible US policy changes in the new year.
• Cold weather impacts migration, and fewer people cross the border.
• After US and Mexican officials met on December 27 to discuss the large number of migrants crossing into the US, Mexico has placed more restrictions on migrants who can cross the bridge and hand themselves into US Immigration.

The fluctuation in numbers has not affected our commitment to asylum seekers. In the name of all IHMs and Oblate Sisters of Providence, we continue to accompany our brothers and sisters waiting in Reynosa, and we also welcome migrants who arrive in McAllen. It was precisely because we desired to serve migrants on both sides of the border that our congregations chose to establish a mission in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. We thank you for your prayerful and loving support. You inspire us to be a presence of God’s unconditional love at the border.