Reynosa is a border town in Mexico across the Rio Grande from Hidalgo, Texas. After crossing the international bridge, it doesn’t take long to realize that you’ve entered another world. Specifically, you've entered the Mexican state of Tamaulipas — a place that provides refuge to those fleeing violence and poverty in other countries, while also creating refugees of its own due to the violence and poverty that exists within its borders. La Casa del Migrante Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, directed by Sister Catalina, is one of the shelters in Reynosa that tends to displaced peoples. When we visited on one of the last days of July, the shelter was only about half-full. This was not the case for their sister shelter in Matamoros, which had received the group of deported Mexicans for the month of July. But the shelters alternative months - and with the calendar soon to change, the Reynosa shelter was gearing up to receive the August group of deportees. The people who arrive … [Read more...] about A New Pair of Pants

El Proyecto Desarrollo Humano (The Human Development Project) is true to its name. When we pulled up to the premises, we saw a group of women under an outdoor pavilion doing Zumba, while their children played in the park. Sister Fatima helps to run this facility, which gives community members access to sewing classes, an organic garden, medical and dental services, a computer lab, English classes, youth education, and a thrift store. It's a place that truly focuses on the development of human beings in their entirety. But like many organizations in places like Peñitas, Texas, the resources that Proyecto Desarrollo Humano possess are far more limited than its community’s needs. In our brainstorming session, Sister Fatima noted that this has negatively affected attendance of many of their classes, particularly because they've struggled to provide childcare. This means that many of the community’s mothers - who would love to do Zumba and learn English - are unable to do so with … [Read more...] about Being Human

The cellphone began ringing at 9:44 AM. It was an assistant for Sister Norma, reminding us gently that she had a very brief window to meet - and she didn't want to be late for her next appointment. So we quickly parked our car and ran to the door, where the Sister was waiting to greet us. Such is the life of Sister Norma Pimentel, one of the leading faces of the humanitarian effort to help displaced peoples near the U.S.-Mexico border - and consequently, one of the busiest people on the planet. She's the Executive Director for the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, and on this day, was meeting us at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas. For many migrants, the respite center signals the last stop of the Rio Grande Valley portion of their journeys. They arrive on buses coming straight from the detention facilities that have housed them for or months. Their stay in the Respite Center will be briefer - less than a day - but Sister Norma and her colleagues do … [Read more...] about The Next Stop