Month: November 2018

THANKSGIVING DAY ON THE BORDER

I stopped in at Annunciation House at 7 AM on my way to the Centro San Juan Diego shelter where I work in search of coloring books for the bright-eyed young ladies who arrived among the ninety guests delivered to Juan San Diego (SJD) by ICE on Wednesday afternoon. No one seemed to be moving at such an early hour… it was a holiday after all, so I quietly left. On arrival at SJD I was surprised to see virtually all of the guests already at the breakfast tables. It seems that each of the seven houses in the Annunciation House network has its own character and personality.

The 90 central American migrants Ice released to us yesterday were added to the 30 or so whose sponsors had yet to complete travel arrangements from earlier in the week. Most families are a single parent with one child. A few parents have two children and I think there was only one or two couples with children. Our tasks at the shelter are to do intake, getting their information from ICE forms and contacting sponsors to decide how to have the migrant families join them. While they are with us, we provide food and shelter.

On a series of well-designed tri-fold boards, the progression of each family is tracked day by day.

Of the ninety migrants who arrived yesterday, 50 or more are already on the road, or in the air to join families. Some 16 more are due to leave by noon tomorrow before ICE releases another group to us.

The doctor visited yesterday and was back this morning to check on a young girl who came to us with pneumonia. She is the older of two children traveling with their mother. It should not be a surprise how many of the children are ill, with bad colds if nothing worse. So much coughing and sneezing, it is no wonder so many of the regular staff are sick.

The low light of my day was taking three families to the airport to find out that one of them had a confirmation code for a Greyhound bus rather than for an air flight. I accompanied the other two families to the TSA security entrance, and was chased from the security are by customs enforcement officers. So, I went to take the dad and his son to the Greyhound station only to realize I did not know where I parked my car. It is a rental, and I could not recognize it the way I would if it was my own. I must have walked three-quarters of the parking lot before I found it using the emergency button on the key fob. One can only imagine what was going through this refugee dad’s mind as he and his son were taken to the airport by mistake and then the driver cannot find his car!

A local parish brought their leftover turkey dinner for us and volunteers arrived an hour or two later to serve. There was lots of pumpkin pie!

I left SJD at 8 PM to drive two more families to the bus station. One dad and his 4-year old daughter are taking Greyhound from El Paso to Massachusetts.  I hope we packed enough food drinks and toys for the ride.

Because I work closely with the shuttle driver and pass out the travel bags with foods for their journey’s, I am often at the door as families are leaving. I was caught off guard today when one four-year old young lady wrapped her arms around my legs and said “Gracias!” Her mother soon followed with some tears and a hug. They were not alone in sharing warm thank-yous and good byes. I am sure the gratitude was meant for all of the staff, but I was honored and deeply moved to be the recipient.

After leaving the bus station, on my way “home” for the evening, I stopped back at Annunciation House to look again for those coloring books. I do not want to see the light in the youngster’s eyes dimmed tomorrow if I have to say we have no “libre’ for crayons. The college age volunteer pointed me to the basement where, thankfully, I found a case of coloring books I could take—along with some more crayons.

Gracias a Dios!

Meeting Migrant Families in El Paso

The photo shows travel bags prepared for migrants heading to families across the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement otherwise known as ICE has, under Trump, been releasing large numbers of migrant families, on parole, to the streets of El Paso, Texas. The Catholic sisters of Annunciation House here have been working for years providing hospitality shelters and a short transition for these folks, trying to get them on their way to family members and friends throughout the U.S. within 24-48 hours. These most recent large releases have overwhelmed their system as they now are running six shelters and are collaborating another seven. They issued a call for help from other congregations of women religious, and as a justice and peace facilitator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, I am able to volunteer two weeks.

The journey to El Paso to volunteer was anything but smooth, including cancelled and delayed flights and being stranded in Denver overnight for the second time this year. Even getting to the place I would be staying was delayed because of a fiesta in the area closed the roads. But as a sister-colleague chided me, I was only experiencing some solidarity with the migrants whose journey to El Paso was so much more difficult.

I had a good night’s sleep in the dorm room the first night, great prayer time in the early morning hours and started my volunteer work at Centro San Juan Diego Monday morning at 8 AM.

When ICE releases families, Annunciation house receives a text each morning indicating how many families will be released that day. The families are spread over the six shelters or assigned to some of the hotels the sisters now rent. Families start arriving at Centro San Juan Diego about 3 PM. After welcoming them with soups etc., intake begins by gathering critical information from their ICE paperwork. After intake, they are given hygiene kits and allowed to shower and pick out new clothes, Volunteers in the meantime begin calling sponsors. These sponsors may be family or friends anywhere in the U.S. and are asked to provide plane or bus tickets for the migrants and to call back when the tickets are purchased. This lets the volunteers and the families know how quickly they will be able to go on their way.

Dorm rooms are assigned, and meals served. Dinners are often brought by local parishes. The families remain in the shelter building or can play in a fenced in yard where they can enjoy the sunshine.

Travel bags with sandwiches, snacks and drinks are prepared for each family soon to depart. This was the work I was assigned Monday. Taking their information from their travel document prepared during intake, I could put a bag together for the family depending on how many were traveling together, the ages and sex of the children and whether they were flying or taking a bus. No full water bottles for air flight, and extra sandwiches for those traveling for days on a bus. Most travel without any money at all.

Each bag is a unique invitation to pray for the family receiving it. I pray they be nourished on their journey and find welcome wherever they go, and most importantly, that they know they are loved. I also prayed that they be treated as the unique, wonderful, warm and beautiful people they are.

I write this as I stay with them overnight. Soon I will wake two dads and their children soon for a 4 am pick-up by a volunteer driver who will take them to the airport. Another wake-up call to a family for a six o’clock drive to the Greyhound station by yet another volunteer driver. I’ll put out breakfast around 8:00 AM and be relieved about 10. Every hour has been a pleasure.

My one regret is my lack of Spanish. It is not that I cannot help without it, but I already miss the opportunity to have a chat with many of them, who invariably greet all of us with happy smiles, fist bumps, fancy handshakes, warm hearts and even a few hugs.

P.S. Photos of the families are prohibited.

Vote for Humanity

As a Catholic, I accept the basic truth of my faith that underlies the sanctity of human life. That basic principle is that we all derive our dignity from our creation as individuals in the image and likeness of God. We are created as one family with great diversity. Our faith teaches that God is trinity, a community of love, and we, made in God’s image and likeness are to be the same.

As election day is upon us, I take my faith to the voting booth. The general feeling of the nation is that the vote tomorrow is a referendum on Trump. I cannot argue with that, he chooses to say a vote for a republican is a vote for him. Most of his party has voted in lock step with him over the past two years. Politicians who berated Obama for his spending, voted to increase the deficit with their tax cuts for the wealthy. All but three of his senators voted to destroy the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), with no replacement agreed upon. All senators but one voted for the confirmation of an accused sexual abuser for a seat on the supreme court.

Trump’s rhetoric over the past few weeks, makes it clear that the racism of which he has been accused is verifiable. I cannot tell if his is inherently racist or simply finds it helpful to advance his agenda and power up his MAGA followers. But I have no doubt is is a very ill individual. His rhetoric led to the deaths of two blacks and eleven Jewish worshippers last week and motivated a disciple to send fifteen bombs to political leaders who believe Trump is leading the nation away from its founding ideals.

As I enter the voting booth, I will not see Trump’s name, but will vote against any member of his party on the federal level. Anyone who denigrates minorities, immigrants, people who are poor or disabled, or who embraces those who do so, is not deserving of a leadership role in America.

Some will say “But he appoints right to life judges!” To them I say, motive matters. If Trump believed in our common humanity his “right to life” position might have some weight. However, since he is willing, if not eager, to use nuclear weapons, berates anyone who disagrees with him, proposes cuts to child nutrition programs, and cares little for the violated immigrants of Central America who seek asylum on our nation, I believe his right to life position is simply manipulation. It allows for continued male domination of women’s bodies and their health. The Access Hollywood tape two years ago made it clear to us all the high regard in which he holds a woman’s body. In addition, the judges Trump appointed, as are those appointed by Bush, are myopically pro-business/anti-labor…but my objections to that are for another post.

There are so many more reasons to use this election to vote against Trump and his cronies, but believing in our common humanity is all the reason I need.