ASSUMPTIONIST EMAIL NEWSLETTER El Paso Edition, April, 2022

Personal Stories from Migrants at the Shelter

Welcome to our newest installment in a series of e-Newsletters devoted to our foundation in El Paso (previous installments available here). Read on for updates and ways to get involved in this important work of meeting the spiritual and material needs of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Personal Stories from Migrants at the Shelter

“Very often in life, people close doors in your face, but here, you’ve opened one, so I thank you.”

– Andy

Nicaraguan migrant who arrived at our El Paso shelter

Ben
Home country: Nicaragua
How did you decide to come to the States?
It all stems from the economic-political state of the country because the current government doesn’t respect human rights. If you’re not in favor of this government and don’t share its ideals, they mistreat you, and they don’t take it well. So you leave your country to improve your situation.
How was the journey?
The journey, the passage, right? It’s very risky and difficult to get here. It’s very sad because you have to pass through many countries, and when you get inspected by the immigration law enforcement and the cartels, some are lucky, and some are not. It’s very tiring; you travel by day and by night, and you pass through very dangerous places. So we fear for our lives and we fear for our families.
How was arriving here in El Paso, at the parish?
After Otero, once you are taken out of the shelter, things are very different because you’re guarded by officers, but protected. You’re free - but when you come here, there’s not really any more freedom or possibility of exit. On the way from Otero to the church here, it didn't go very well, but there was no situation to fear. Well, I feel at home here; I do. As some friends and I were just saying, for me, you are angels that God has placed on our journey, because God does not abandon anyone.

Nick
Home Country: Columbia
“..My country is getting worse and worse economically. Even if you manage to get a job, the pay is very low; with what you earn, it’s basically impossible to put food on the table. If you have to pay a lease, if you have children, the parents work a lot to help them… There are lots of costs that build up, and in order to pay them off with the very little that you can make, you take on this difficult ordeal. In my experience, the truth is that it has traumatized me.
How was the journey?
You have to pass through different countries, and one terrible thing is that the future is so uncertain. You don’t know where they’re taking you. Let’s say a person is received in one place, once he’s taken to another place, he doesn’t even know if food will arrive nor where they’ll take him. They come and wake you up at any hour of the night and we have to leave right away. So it’s literally like a dream. You don’t believe that you’re in a dream, but it’s not reality. You move forward with God, always asking him to enlighten you, that good people come across your path, and that despite living such terrible experiences… here you arrive to find good people like those who are at this church. I really don’t even have enough words to express how grateful I am because out of all the bad and ugly experiences, out of all the bad places I’ve passed through, to get to a place like this, you feel as if you have come to a family, where they make you feel truly at home.

Migrants at the Shelter

Easter & Holy Week at St. Francis Xavier Parish

The parish of St. Francis Xavier had a busy Holy Week. During Holy Week, the parish does not take in any migrants because the volunteers who decorate the church are the same volunteers who help at the shelter. There was a large number of RCIA candidates who were welcomed into the church at the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday. At the vigil, two were baptized and received first communion, and nine received confirmation. At the Easter Sunday mass, there were three baptisms and three first communions.

Haitian Migrants Arrive at the Shelter

The week after Holy Week, the shelter was filled with about forty Haitian migrants. These migrants were all families instead of just men. Families involve a much more detailed program in relation to clothing and shelter setup.

News at the Border

From: Hope Border Institute

PREPARING FOR THE END OF TITLE 42

Even in the face of growing concerns, the Biden administration is standing behind its decision to end Title 42 on May 23. There have been reports of internal divisions about whether Title 42 should have been ended and that the decision may be reversed but White House officials have made it clear that this was a CDC determination that has been made. The White House claims that there is a comprehensive plan as members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have been voicing their concerns over the lack of concrete details. Similar concerns have been voiced by us and other faith-based groups and humanitarian organizations, such as Catholic Charities, that have been providing services to migrants who praise the decision to end Title 42 as a step in the right direction but are asking for better communication from the administration so they are prepared to help.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ROLLS OUT PLAN FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEES

El Paso Foundation - Parish Facebook

El Paso Foundation - Parish Website

Augustinians of the Assumption - Main Website

One way you can support our migrant ministry at the U.S.-Mexico border is by sharing these updates with your friends and family on Twitter & Facebook:

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