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.