Published: July 29, 2019
We went to a Coalition to End Child Detention rally on Mother's Day and they had a really excellent handout listing organizations that support migrants, including websites, etc., so I am sharing the information on that handout below with anybody who wants it. I especially like Annunciation House and the Hope Border Institute.
All of these organizations are on Facebook, too, and that's a great way of keeping up with the day-to-day activity. The situation is so fluid (or erratic, based on 3 a.m. tweets from the Oval Office) that it's hard to know what's happening from one day to the next. Border patrol moves their detainees around so much it seems like a shell game, and it's impossible to keep track of who they're hiding and where. Frustrating as all get out for all of us!
Annunciation House deals primarily with housing families and contacting the sponsors or families to make travel arrangements and then gets them to the airport or bus station. Annunciation House is a NGO run by Ruben Garcia, who has been doing this for 40 years and, until this year, has been pretty much able to handle the migrant situation. Border Patrol would let him know when people were being released and he would get them to Annunciation House.
Garcia attended seminary in Kansas City and instead of becoming a priest, just decided that working with the poor was his vocation. I honestly think he's right up there with Mother Theresa and should be nominated for sainthood at some point! A number of Quakers have come through El Paso to volunteer at Annunciation House.
I think Hope Border Institute sets up phone lines to help deal with emergencies, like the raids-that-didn't-happen on Sunday [7/14/2019]. (I think Trump is just trying to drive us all crazy, right?)
Anyway, I hope this list gives Friends the guidance they need for making contributions to good organizations working with migrants.
from Vona Van Cleef, El Paso Friends Meeting (7/16/2019)
Resource list from the Coalition to End Child Detention – El Paso
Contact your elected officials.
The Federal government detains thousands of migrant children. Let’s help reunite them with their families.
www.callmycongress.com
Text “Resist” to 50409
Advocate for this legislation:
Stay Informed / Get involved
The Coalition to End Child Detention – El Paso
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center
Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services
Border Network for Human Rights
Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee