Reflections from the Borderlands: Caravan edition

Author’s Note: This is the second post in a series of reflections from the borderlands. Notice the changes in policy from 2016 to 2018. To read Part 1, go to http://bit.ly/2UJ1YsD

In the end of 2018 a caravan of asylum seekers came to the southern U.S. border from Honduras. The journey from Honduras to the United States is long, difficult, and dangerous, motivating many immigrants to travel together in caravans for safety and companionship.

For those who arrived in that caravan, early in 2019, the asylum-seeking process looked like this:

• Arrive at the border. Take a number. Yes, just as you would take a number at the butcher or the pharmacy.
• Wait in Mexico until your number is called (often 2-3 months). Meanwhile, where do you and your family sleep? How do you provide food for your family? How do you keep your family safe? You must stay near the port of entry to keep an eye on when your number might be called. If you miss it, you miss your opportunity.
• Present yourself to ICE/CBP and request asylum. Pass a Credible Fear Interview. In this interview migrants must show that they have a credible fear of returning to their home country, due to persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Generic poverty, gang violence, and domestic violence do not count; asylum seekers must show that they were personally targeted due to their belonging to a specific group.
• In order to be admitted entry to the U.S., you must have the name, address, and phone number of a sponsor in the U.S. Your sponsor will buy your bus ticket and will house you for at least the first two weeks, and will make sure you get to your court dates and check-ins, often in another city. 
• Cross the border. Women and children are separated from men. Everyone goes to the icebox. The icebox serves no actual function, except as a supposed deterrent.
• Be fitted with an ankle monitor. The ankle monitor chafes at your skin, beeps and talks to you, and has to be plugged in—still attached to your ankle—to recharge.
• Be released into the U.S. If you’re lucky, you’ll be released to a shelter, where you can get food, showers, sleep, and help contacting your sponsor. If you’re not so lucky, you may be released to the city park.
• Travel to your sponsor. Your identification documents have been confiscated by ICE/CBP, so you will not be flying. You will take a bus. Imagine all the other things in the U.S. for which you will need basic ID, which you no longer have.
• Report for regular check-ins (monthly or twice monthly) with a private agency contracted by ICE. The agency will call your references in the U.S. every time you check in. You also have weekly telephone check-ins and weekly home visits from the agency.
• Submit a complicated 12-page application for asylum in English. This must be completed before you have been in the U.S. for one year. Six months later apply for a work permit. Meanwhile, where will you live? How will you pay for rent, utilities, phone, food, and medical care? Asylum seekers are not eligible for government benefits, so most have no choice but to work “under the table” in order to survive.
• Attend all of your court hearings. A decision on your case will typically be made within 6 to 18 months.

I am part of a sponsor team for a family that arrived in the 2018 caravan from Honduras. What follows is from my own experience sponsoring this family.

The family we sponsored waited six weeks in Mexico for their number to be called. During that time they rented a tiny room in Tijuana, paid for with earnings the father made doing auto mechanic work. Upon entering the U.S., the family was separated and spent three days in la hielera, or the icebox. All their documents were confiscated and never returned. With no identification, they have been unable to even request new ID from their respective consulates.

Both the father and the (nursing) mother were fitted with ankle monitors. At the first ICE check-in (almost three weeks after their entrance to the U.S.) the mother’s ankle monitor was removed. The father’s monitor presented constant problems, and he had to travel to another city three times to have it repaired or replaced. One year later he still wears the monitor, despite checking in twice a month in person, and every week by phone. The family has home visits scheduled every week. In reality, the agency often does not show up for these visits, but if the father is not home at the appointed time, the agency knows because of the GPS monitor on his ankle. 

The three family members were assigned three separate court dates: one for the father, one for the mother, and a third for their child, who was less than one year old. Honestly, an infant with his own court date separate from his parents? Thankfully, I have a friend who is an immigration attorney who requested on the family’s behalf that the three court dates be combined. The request was granted. How would other families without such resources navigate that challenge?

Although the family is not allowed to work, everyone knows they have to. How else would they survive? They are not eligible for public benefits. Our sponsor team has managed to find (non-government-funded) agencies that offer sliding-scale or free services to immigrants regardless of documentation or legal status. To clarify, this family’s presence in the U.S. is legal—they have been paroled into the country.

What is the good news in this frustrating scenario? Almost immediately after making known the need for a sponsor and a sponsor team, several people from my (relatively new) church volunteered to get involved. Others in the congregation have been generous with donations of furniture, housewares, and clothing. We have learned more than most of us ever wanted to know about the U.S. asylum process. And we have worked together as family to welcome our neighbors. I’m immensely grateful for this church, these friends, and how we have grown together. But these policies? Many of them make no logical sense, and are nothing short of deliberate cruelty. 

That was early 2019, and things have changed yet again. Stay tuned to learn how MPP (Remain in Mexico) continues to affect the most vulnerable of our neighbors.

Photo credit: Special thanks to Nate Bacon

 

 

Beautiful Teamwork

One of the most positive things I witnessed on my recent trip to Laredo was beautiful teamwork. Several individuals, groups, agencies, and companies work together to meet the needs of immigrants in the border town. It’s unusual to see so many diverse organizations working together so well.

This border ministry had its birth at the Laredo Greyhound station. The manager of the station, Joe Hernandez, has been instrumental in creating a culture of welcome. Joe’s desire is that he and his staff treat every person who enters the station with dignity and respect, whether employees, customers, or charity volunteers. Joe repeatedly thanked us volunteers for our work, and even bought us cold soft drinks. When ICE first started busing immigrants to Laredo, it was Joe’s staff who made most of the phone calls to the sponsors. Even today they continue to help with that task. Hernandez has been recognized by Greyhound nationwide, and has traveled to other cities to train managers and employees. We couldn’t help but notice his passion to treat people with respect and dignity, and to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

Volunteers from across Laredo also lend their time and treasures. Various men’s and women’s groups purchase ingredients and prepare meals for the shelter guests. One individual woman has prepared more than 4,000 sandwiches for guests, in addition to other meals. On the occasion that a client’s relatives can’t come up with the money for a bus ticket, volunteers will chip in to cover the cost. These dear ones truly understand what it means to live out their faith.

The homeless shelter in Laredo does all the laundry for the immigrant shelters, washing all the sheets, pillowcases, and towels until Catholic Charities can obtain their own laundry appliances. Another ministry provides bags packed with food for the guests to take on their long bus journeys, as many are traveling without cash.

While we were there, the Red Cross donated blankets and case upon case of toiletry kits. While the shelter provides soap, shampoo, and toothpaste for guests on the premises, these Red Cross packages allow guests to carry toiletries along on their continuing journeys.

Also while we were there, Catholic Charities staff arranged a partnership with two medical doctors from two different local clinics. These professionals donate their time and expertise to care for the newly arrived immigrants at the shelter, who sometimes arrive with colds or digestive problems from the journey or their time in la hielera.

Again and again we were happily surprised by the number and variety of people who are partnering with Catholic Charities to serve the immigrants. Well done, Laredo! May we all learn to work so well together for the common good!

If you want to join the network of people serving immigrants in Laredo, please consider shopping from and sharing the following wish list. Every item purchased will go directly to the clients in the immigrant shelters.

https://amzn.to/2EfP4cK

Photo Credit: Special thanks to Jerima King for these photos.

Toiletry kits donated by the Red Cross.

Toiletry kits donated by the Red Cross.

Catholic Charities volunteers and staff.

Catholic Charities volunteers and staff.

Catholic Charities volunteers and staff.

Jerima and Joe.

 

 

 

 

Ten Days at the Border

My friend Jerima and I recently traveled to Laredo, TX to volunteer at two immigrant shelters run by Catholic Charities in the border town. We were told that Nuevo Laredo, on the other side of the river, is controlled by cartels, so almost no immigrants cross the border there. However, McAllen and Eagle Pass are overwhelmed with new arrivals, so ICE transports busloads of people to Laredo for their next steps. These are not Greyhound buses, but rather prison buses with bars on the windows.

Arriving asylum seekers have everything taken from them at the border, including their identification papers, belts, and shoelaces. Children as well as adults spend their first three days in the U.S. in la hielera  or the icebox, a holding cell with concrete floors and uncalled-for levels of air conditioning. La hielera  is overcrowded, often standing room only, and the toilets are out in the open. Immigrants are often mistreated and verbally abused by guards, told not to ask the time, and to tell “their people” not to come to the U.S. anymore because our country is full. See my previous post about la hielera  here: https://wordpress.com/post/stand4welcome.wordpress.com/309

After suffering such indignities, parents and children arrived at the Greyhound station in Laredo, where we greeted them with smiles and a friendly welcome. We drove them to one of the Catholic Charities shelters, where several wonderful things happened. First we gave them snacks and water. Then we helped them call their relatives or friends who were sponsoring them in the U.S. to arrange for them to buy bus tickets to join them. In almost every case, the relatives we contacted were expecting the phone calls and were ready to purchase bus tickets. Some relatives also wanted to send cash for the continuing journey, which we helped them do. Guests were allowed to choose one or two new changes of clothes, from donations we had previously sorted and organized. They got to shower, washing away the layers of dirt and evil that had been laid upon them on their journeys. When the guests emerged from the showers wearing clean clothes and having brushed their teeth for the first time in several days, they were transformed. They were smiling, beautiful, and at peace. Volunteers cooked and served dinner, and we drove many of the guests back to the bus station that same night to make the trip to join their relatives, sending them with prayers, snacks, and toiletries for their journeys. Many others stayed overnight at the shelter, where they slept on fresh sheets with mattresses and pillows, luxuries they were grateful to experience.

The guests were friendly, respectful, and grateful for our hospitality. They were happy to pitch in when asked, for example, stripping their bed linens in the morning, or folding clothes in the donation room. A few were so grateful that they even asked how they could donate to the shelter when they were eventually in a position to do so.

Jerima and I were touched to witness how the fathers cared for their sons, and how they encouraged and shared with each other, passing diapers and other supplies to any who needed them. The men and boys enjoyed playing soccer, while the younger children colored, played with toys, and practiced learning English and teaching Spanish with the volunteers. Despite the circumstances, the shelters were oases of joy and safety.

The work was hard, the hours were long, and the Spanish language was exhausting. After returning to the hotel at 11:30 one night after work, Jerima reminded me that as exhausted as we were, we would now get to sleep in comfortable beds, while our new friends were just beginning their long bus journeys. The exhaustion we experienced was all worth it to offer hospitality and welcome on the front lines to brothers and sisters who have experienced so many indignities. To offer food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothing, showers, and toiletries to the weary, hope and hospitality to travelers left me filled with joy and gratitude.

Since our return, we’ve heard that the needs at the shelters have increased. If you’d like to help support the immigrants at the shelters, please consider donating something from the wish list below. Every purchase will go directly to immigrant clients in the Catholic Charities shelters.

https://amzn.to/2EfP4cK

Stay tuned for more news from the border!

Photo Credit: Special thanks to Jerima King for these photos.

Notice the bars on the bus windows.

Volunteers at one of the shelters.

The other shelter.

Donated food we sorted and organized.

Donated clothes and shoes we sorted and organized.

Never have I been so happy to buy so much men’s underwear—a huge need at the shelters!

 

 

 

 

Compelled to Action

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” 

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

One night last June I cried myself to sleep. My friends in Guatemala had sent me videos from Univision of a woman FROM THEIR OWN COMMUNITY who was deported from the US back to Guatemala. Her young son was ripped away from her, and she thought he might be in New York. But she really didn’t know for sure. 

Around that same time, Customs and Border Patrol agents shot Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez in the head, killing her. My friend Nate Bacon in Guatemala attended Claudia’s funeral and wrote about it, here: https://www.facebook.com/nate.bacon.50/posts/10155459918876027

CBP has tear-gassed asylum seekers at our southern border, an act that is forbidden in war, but not by law enforcement. Seven-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin and eight-year-old Felipe Gómez Alonzo died in CBP custody.

To those who think America is no longer a racist country since Rev. Martin Luther King spoke the words above, think again.

To those who think “This isn’t the America I know. We’re better than this,” think again. Native Americans. African slaves. Japanese internment. No Irish; no Chinese; no Italians; no Germans. Our history of conquest and exclusion has repeated itself so many times it’s appalling. My friend Eric Pavri, an immigration attorney, writes about that here: https://www.facebook.com/eric.pavri/posts/10157045994151180

This is why I continue to march. Why I continue to teach and advocate and volunteer and write. In the face of such injustice, I cannot be silent. I cannot be too busy with my own life. I must act. I must speak out.

“Why I Marched” continues to be my most-read post, so to observe the third annual Women’s March, it’s time for a repost. Thanks for reading.

Why I Marched

I’m a progressive Christian, and I’m pro-life. Many people think people like me don’t exist. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one, but I know I’m not alone. Many Christians think that all progressives and liberals are pro-abortion. And many liberals think that all Christians are backward, hateful hypocrites. I’ve heard that the Women’s March didn’t allow pro-life women to march, but nobody asked me to leave. All I felt was love. I’m pro-life, and in a much fuller sense of the word than simply pro-birth. Jesus came to give us life, and life ABUNDANT.

Life begins with conception. Yes. But as a follower of Jesus, my obligation to protect life does not end with a baby’s birth. Jesus calls me to protect life by providing decent healthcare, education, and housing for ALL. Jesus calls me to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned. I take Him at His word in Matthew 25. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him. He calls me to welcome the stranger, the foreigner, the DACA recipients, the refugees and asylum seekers; to protect those who are fleeing war, torture, and violence. Jesus calls me to stand for the rights of women and girls the world over, for people of every color. He calls me to stand for the life and dignity of people with disabilities. I’m even pro-life and pro-equal rights for LGBTQ folks. I take Jesus at His word when He says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

The Bible calls me to steward the environment, which sustains human life on earth. If we don’t take care of the home God gave us, there will not be any life for much longer. Climate change is real.

I’m for Fair Trade. I’m for a living wage. I’m for treating others as I would want to be treated. I’m for loving my neighbor—all my neighbors on this entire planet. I’m for LIFE ABUNDANT, FOR ALL.

Jesus was at the Women’s March. I saw Him. I saw Jesus in the women and girls of all ages. I saw Jesus in the people with tattoos and piercings. I saw Jesus in the men young and old who marched to support women’s rights. I saw Him carrying a sign that read “Undocumented and Unafraid.” I saw Him in the black man who applauded our march with tears in his eyes. I saw Him in the police officers who blocked traffic for us to march safely, and in the people who thanked them for doing their job well. I saw Jesus at the March.

The Women’s March was not a gathering of victims, complainers, or whiny women. It was a demonstration of strength in unity, asking that ALL people be treated with love, care, and respect. The most common chant I heard was: “No hate. No fear. Everyone is welcome here.” It was a demonstration of inclusion, equal rights, education, and health care for ALL. Documented estimates of how many people marched range from 3-5 MILLION. There were hundreds of marches across the country and around the world. Thank God that they were PEACEFUL. No arrests were made at the Women’s March.

Those friends I walked with? Also followers of Jesus. These sisters are women who have slept on floors with me mentoring young teens, inside the local rescue mission. We have eaten together with youth at the local soup kitchen. We have taken young people to the same park where we marched, given sack lunches to homeless people there, and listened to their stories. These women serve with me as volunteers for refugees, teaching them English, mentoring families, and watching the children so their moms can be together and sew. They join me monthly in prayer, and they serve on church committees, trying to teach others how to serve. None of us does these things to earn a reward. Faith without works is not faith at all. Jesus’ followers will be known by their love. Jesus came to:

preach good news to the poor…

proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

If we’re following Jesus, that’s where He’s leading.

I marched for my gay friends who love Jesus. I marched for my refugee friends. I marched for my friends who have lived through rape and abortions. I marched for my Muslim friends. I marched for the women who are groped and abused and underpaid every day. I marched for the girls and boys who are marketed and sold for other people’s pleasure and profit. I marched for Native Americans, the only Americans who are not immigrants. I marched to bring liberals and Christians together—the two terms are not mutually exclusive. Jesus told me to love my neighbor, and that’s why I marched. My loyalty is to Jesus, not to any political party. We’re all broken and in need of a savior, and Jesus came for all of us, to bring us life—life abundant.

 

 

 

 

 

Las Posadas: a Christmas Caravan

Though I’ve discovered it only in the last eight years, Las Posadas has found a place in my heart as a beloved Christmas tradition. I’ve been participating in the local celebration sponsored by Catholic Charities since its beginning, more recently helping on the planning team. Each year we think the celebration could not possibly be more timely and relevant to current events. And then the next year something even worse happens in our world, targeting refugees or other immigrants.

Migrant caravans are nothing new. In Exodus 13 in the Old Testament, Moses led thousands of Hebrew people out of the land of Egypt into the wilderness. The people traveled together for 40 years, and migrated again after that as they were led in and out of captivity.

Mary and Joseph probably did not travel alone to Bethlehem. “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world…. And everyone went to their own town to register” (Luke 2:1,3, emphasis mine). With everyone in the entire Roman world required to report to their hometowns, it’s unlikely that Mary and Joseph would have been the only people traveling between Nazareth and Bethlehem at that time. Then as now, it would have been considerably safer for vulnerable people to travel in groups than alone. Women, children, expectant families. They did not have the police escort that we enjoyed at our Las Posadas celebration, so they likely would have sought out traveling companions to offer protection on the journey. 

Las Posadas is a traditional hispanic celebration remembering Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for a place for Jesus to be born. Last night as almost 200 pilgrims processed around the block with candles—forming our own caravan of sorts— we sang:

En el nombre del Cielo
os pido posada,
pues no puede andar
ya mi esposa amada.

In the name of Heaven
I beg you for lodging,
for she cannot walk
My beloved wife.

The parallels between Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and thousands of Latin Americans traveling north seeking asylum were more than obvious as we walked in the cold night. My five-year-old friend Samuel said he didn’t like the walk because he was so hungry, nobody would let us inside, and it was cold. Samuel’s observations and the response at the doors where we requested posada (shelter) also had parallels with how migrants are treated today:

¡Ya se pueden ir
y no molestar
porque si me enfado
los voy a apalear!

Go already
and don’t disturb me
because if I get angry
I’ll beat you up!

At last the pilgrims were welcomed inside with a joyful song:

Entren santos peregrinos,
Reciban este rincón;
Que aunque es pobre la morada,
Os la doy de corazón.

Enter holy pilgrims,
Receive this corner;
For though this dwelling is poor,
I offer it from the heart.

This year’s celebration of Las Posadas was not only more poignant than ever, but also the most international that we’ve celebrated locally. Every year participants tell us that Las Posadas was the best celebration yet. Entertainment this year included:

• a group of flute players regaling us with Christmas carols;
• Las Estrellitas, traditional Mexican dancers;
• La Rondalla De Colores, a traditional Spanish guitar ensemble;
• Agape Choir, Swahili singers from a local congregation;
• and a Filipino-American dance troupe.

The fajitas from Leonela’s Carniceria were riquisimo, as usual. Leonela’s also donated gorgeous piñatas for the decorations. La Sinaloense provided amazing tres leches cake. Volunteers from throughout the community helped hang the decorations, serve the food, and clean up. Mil gracias to everyone who helped.

Today my friends Michelle Warren, Nate Bacon, and other faith leaders from around the country are at the southern border standing in solidarity with our Latin American brothers and sisters who are seeking asylum there. Michelle wrote:

Yesterday I was with Father Pat who runs Casa del Migrante in Tijuana and is one of the leaders for this gathering. When we were speaking about today’s event, he solemnly said: “We are not playing posadas. Everyone with a door can open it. There’s no better place for posadas than at the US/Mexican Border.”

We cannot just bear witness to this present reality. We must prophetically and urgently cry out to open the door.

At the very least we can sign on and share the opportunity for others to sign onto this Congressional letter. Our lame duck Congress needs to be pressed to spend their last week working toward just and equitable solutions for asylum seekers and immigration issues facing our country today. Thank you Sandy Ovalle for writing the letter and giving us opportunity to join this request.

https://secure3.convio.net/sojo/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1248

Injustice doesn’t just happen, nor does it fix itself. We need to make intentional, forward steps toward its alleviation.

May the asylum seekers waiting at our border receive as warm a welcome as did the pilgrims at Las Posadas.

See coverage of Las Posadas from the Colorado Springs Gazette here:

https://gazette.com/multimedia/las-posadas/collection_a2af7a36-0017-11e9-bf3c-237b69eb8608.html#1