Presbyterian Border Region Outreach
Seattle Presbytery
By Nancyrose Houston, member of Wedgwood Presbyterian Church
In early November, I set out on a sojourn along the US-Mexico border. I, like many in our country, had been horrified by the cruelty I was hearing about in the news towards immigrants, and the planned trip had been months in the making. I wanted to see the situation for myself, learn what I could, and bring back as much information as possible to my community in Seattle.
Below follows an account of some of my travels, but first I would like to extend an invitation to attend the adult education classes I will be leading at my home church, Wedgwood Presbyterian. I will share more about my experiences and the general state of immigration, especially asylum, in our country. The classes will be held on January 26 and February 16 from 11:15am to 12:30pm, with a light lunch included. The first class will focus on the assault on the rights of asylum seekers, while the second class will explore the topics of the border wall, detention, desert deaths, border patrol policies, and more. For more information, or to RSVP so I have an approximate count, contact me at nancyrosehouston@gmail.com. You can also read the blog with more reflections from my trip at www.wonderingwanderings.org.
My journey first took me to the Presbyterian Border Region Outreach conference, “Responding to an Exodus: Gospel Hospitality and Empire” in Agua Prieta, Mexico. There I met approximately 100 people of faith from across the country, mostly Presbyterians, who are involved with immigrant advocacy or volunteer work in their communities. Some work with legal organizations, others serve food to migrants trapped in border towns under the “Remain in Mexico” program, and others stand up against ICE presence in their communities far from the border. All were united by a calling to welcome the “ger,” a Hebrew word usually translated to stranger but which I found out literally means foreigner, alien, or immigrant. The text of Matthew 25 takes on a more explicit meaning in our current political atmosphere when we read verse 35 as, “I was an immigrant and you invited me in.”
The conference was not only a chance to connect with people who are doing good works in the field. I heard inspiring speakers share their stories as well as biblical stories of displaced people. I learned about the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s Accompaniment Program in Agua Prieta. I also saw for the first time the border wall, which divides Agua Prieta from Douglas, Arizona. During a workshop, a group of conference attendees painted the wall with flowers and birds emblematic of the countries from which asylum seekers are arriving. We worshiped in front of this section of border wall on Sunday, and the images added color and life to this physical symbol of rejection and separation.
I also saw the tents set up on the Mexican side of the port of entry, where the asylum seekers next in line must wait until their names are called. This is the product of a policy called “metering,” in which people are let in to request asylum only as beds are made available in CBP processing facilities. Volunteer staff at the Migrant Resource Center in Agua Prieta estimated that 1,000 people are waiting in the city to seek asylum at the moment. Some days no one is let through the gates, other days a few people. Migrants at the top of the list, maintained by non-profits, must be ready at all times to be called. Meanwhile, other asylees are at risk for being exploited by cartels as they wait in Mexico, often with no resources, having used all their savings to get to the border in the first place.
After the conference, I volunteered for two weeks at a shelter in Tucson, Arizona called Casa Alitas, or “House of Little Wings.” This shelter receives asylum seekers recently released by ICE, who give the asylees paperwork assigning them a day in immigration court, up to six months in the future. Originally ICE began to drop families off at the Tucson Greyhound station, where they were supposed to figure out transportation to their sponsor, usually a family member or friend in another part of the United States. Volunteers stepped in to help these families, who almost always had no money to buy a bus ticket or even to call their sponsors, had not showered for days, had their hair ties and shoelaces taken away by ICE, and had only eaten poor quality packaged food since entering into detention.
Eventually, Casa Alitas was formed, and the organization now has the procedure down to a science: asylum seekers being dropped off by the white, unmarked ICE bus are greeted warmly, given hot soup and fruit as they listen to an introductory talk, screened by doctors and nurses, and given an intake interview. They are assigned to a bedroom as a family, offered two changes of clothes each, including shoes, and assisted in calling their sponsors to arrange transportation plans towards their destinations. I spent my time volunteering in the travel room, helping explain the process of buying bus or plane tickets to the sponsors, as well as translating for doctors during medical intake interviews. I listened as people called their family members in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and India, telling them that they were okay, they had made it out of ICE custody, and often weeping on the phone. I spoke to sponsors who said “Que Dios le bendiga” over the phone, thanking the organization immensely for helping their family. I cried with a seven-month pregnant mother as she received an ultrasound and heard her baby’s heartbeat for the first time. “Que alegría, que alegría,” she cried, and I asked her if I could hold her hand.
One of the most significant experiences of my trip was crossing the border from Brownsville, Texas to visit the tent city in Matamoros, Mexico. There I volunteered with a ministry that was serving dinner to asylum seekers living there. Different groups serve breakfast and dinner each day - the only food that many people can rely on. We served food to over 700 people, but the group told us they have served up to 1,300 people per night within the last few months. Residents of the camp estimate that there are about 2,000 people living there in tents and bathing in the Rio Grande, their only access to food and medical care provided by volunteers. This camp exists because of the euphemistically-named Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy implemented in January 2019 by the current administration, also known as “Remain in Mexico.” This policy forces people who have requested asylum in the United States to return to Mexico to wait until their court dates, which are usually between three and six months away. The policy has been enacted at different times along the length of the border. It was started in the Brownsville area in July 2019, but was only recently begun in the Tucson sector, after my time at Casa Alitas. The policy has been met with significant protest in Tucson, who insist that asylum seekers are welcome in their city, where there are plenty of services available.
“Migrant Protection Protocols” is an ironic and cruel name, given that forcing migrants to wait in Mexican border cities is far from a protective measure. A recent report by Human Rights First found “636 reported cases of kidnapping, torture and other violent attacks on asylum seekers who were part of the Remain in Mexico program,” including “138 cases of kidnapping or attempted kidnapping of children.” The US Department of State Travel Advisory for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where Matamoros is located, is a Level 4, which means “Do Not Travel.” The website states that “Organized crime activity – including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border,” yet our government is forcing thousands of refugees to live in this state while they wait for their court dates.
As I saw at the Presbyterian Border Region Outreach conference, the situation at the southern border and the immoral treatment of immigrants throughout our country has rallied the faith community. Organizations such as the Church Council of Greater Seattle have made this a focal issue. We must remember the words of Matthew 25 as we consider how we personally will respond to the crisis both locally and nationally. There are local opportunities to “take strangers in,” provide food, drink, and clothing, visit those who are in detention centers, accompany immigrants to their court dates and appointments, offer legal aid, or lobby politicians. Each person should consider what they can do to show welcome to “ger” - strangers, foreigners, and immigrants.