As the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border worsens with extreme cold and snow, Texas’ Catholic Charities affiliates and the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) are continuing their work in advocating for the dignity of migrants and refugees.
The federal government’s 2019 “Remain in Mexico” program and the Title 42 rule have required that asylum-seekers who present themselves at U.S. ports of entry remain outside of the nation for the duration of their immigration proceedings and allowed officials to deport migrants soon after first interacting respectively. This month, some had only recently entered the U.S. under a new Biden Administration executive order when they were stranded by the intense storms in the Rio Grande Valley.
Thousands of migrants were and are left where Sr. Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, said in an interview with America that the “cold is so severe… their tents are covered with ice. It’s been very hard for families, especially the children.” Most of the migrant families in camps waiting for asylum claims to be reviewed, many from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, have little to no supplies or experience in surviving the cold.
Catholic Charities has expanded its efforts for relief on both sides of the border; they have offered shelters to people staying in camps as well as warm blankets, gloves, and socks. Perilous road conditions and rolling blackouts have also stunted Catholic Charities’ work in mobile food distribution to the homeless and others in need. Fundraising appeals for their services are ongoing as they expect even longer lines of people in need, among them some of the 3.5 million Texans who lost electricity in the record-breaking cold.
As concern for migrants and refugees grows, other Catholic organizations campaign for their safety during and after the extreme weather. ISN is preparing for Ignatian Family Advocacy Month, which is to be held virtually in March 2021. Participants receive guidance and training from ISN beforehand, including “Ignatian Advocacy 101.”
Legislative meetings with ISN advocates and members of Congress taking place in March will narrow down five key calls for action in migration-focused policy making. The “2021 ISN Migration Backgrounder” contains calls for significant policy changes, including creating an affordable pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, D.A.C.A. recipients, and Temporary Protected Status holders as well as including these groups in future COVID-19 relief packages. Urges for change within detention and enforcement include increasing funding for community-based case management systems as alternatives to detention and decreasing funding for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration Customs Enforcement. Additionally, ISN advocates for the release of all detained immigrants to their families in the U.S. while ensuring that they have proper personal protective equipment.
In a launch video for ISN’s 2020 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Fr. Rafael Moreno, S.J., shared that “just seeing statistics is not the same as seeing faces and hearing testimonies.” ISN’s Solidarity Across Borders campaign seeks to uplift voices and stories of individual migrants. It is inspired by the 2003 pastoral letter titled Strangers No Longer written by Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the U.S., which calls for conversion and communion with immigrants.
The campaign includes an option to send letters to the Department of Homeland Security in support of the right to asylum. “Lend your voice to the crucial work of advocacy, demanding that your elected officials uphold the rights and dignity of all our migrant brothers and sisters,” Fr. Ted Penton, S.J., Secretary of the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology said. “In this way, we live out the faith that Jesus calls us to.”
For ways to assist Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in its time of crisis, visit https://www.catholiccharitiesrgv.org/Home.aspx.
Mary Rose is a Senior majoring in English and Perspectives and minoring in Management for Social Impact and Public Good. In addition to reading and writing, she enjoys bopping with the Full Swing dance team, working at the Church in the 21st Century Center, and leading projects for IATG: The Feminist Society of BC.
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