Displaying items by tag: US Border

The Catholic-run welcome centre, the last stop for migrants before crossing the border into the USA, offers meals, clothing, medical and legal assistance. It has become a waiting room. The group running the welcome centre attributes lengthened stays (300+ days) to the pandemic and Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy. Many who get into America are ejected by Border Patrol after a few days - creating a revolving population, returning to the welcome centre on a weekly or daily basis. Women give birth, children miss two years of education, girls can’t have a quinceañera (celebration of a girl's 15th birthday). US authorities found 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March. It is a major test for Joe Biden as he reverses many of his predecessor's hard-line immigration tactics.

The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team and Samaritan’s Purse are ministering at refugee centres in Texas, to offer the love and compassion of Jesus to those who have been granted legal US access. When exhausted immigrant families arrive at a centre, they are offered prayer by local pastors and have an opportunity to take showers, receive new clothes, food and other necessities, along with temporary shelter and organised transportation. Chaplain Jennifer Metallo recalled meeting one Cuban family that began to sob as they spoke to God. ‘This was the first time they had ever been able to pray out loud without fear or repercussion in a public setting. You could see on their faces that they were still apprehensive but the opportunity to do this was so monumental they couldn’t just not risk it’.