I’ve been told only criminals are crossing the border yet all I have found are friends. On the border, I have met survivors who are brave, resilient and kind. They would make great neighbors. On February 2-6, 2025, a group from Mid-Atlantic CBF traveled to the US Southern Border to learn, grow and better understand the complexity of migration. We set out to discover how we can become companions with and advocates for the stranger who has sought refuge in our country.
On the first full day of the trip, we visited the South Texas Human Rights Center in Falfurrias, Texas about 60 miles north of the border. There is an inland check point near Falfurrias. The coyotes know this, and they force the migrants out of the vehicle and send them on foot to travel miles in dangerous ranch lands to avoid the check point. Many migrants never make it to the other side. The South Texas Human Rights Center helps locate migrants who have gone missing. Families call the center when they have not heard from their loved ones for some time and there are times when the center delivers good news that a loved one is safe. Far too often the center only brings closure and news of recovery instead of rescue. We placed a white cross on the lawn of the Brooks County Courthouse to memorialize a migrant who had died recently. After leaving the center we spent part of the afternoon refilling water stations, leaving water for migrants to find as they traverse the difficult terrain.
Later that afternoon we traveled to the border. We stood and looked across the Rio Grande. Then we gathered at an old mission, celebrated communion, and remembered the wilderness journey and all who have sought a promised land.
The second day of our trip, we visited a Border Patrol Station to gain their perspective. The border patrol agents approach their work like most law enforcement officers. They are serious about what they see as a threat to our country, and they tend to view those who cross as criminals. Yet there is compassion as well. Their hearts break for the children they see suffering and they are more than willing to offer aid to those who are thirsty, starving or need help. That afternoon we served with Catholic Charities at their Humanitarian Respite Center where we met families who had just crossed the border. We ended the day worshiping with children who had crossed the border alone.
Sometimes you serve by cutting a bag of onions for the kitchen who will welcome those who have traveled so far. Then you can blame the onions when the tears flow. How can you not weep when you hear the stories of pregnant women swept away by the river only to be saved by an unknown hand or children who lose limbs on the treacherous journey. When you hear and hold such stories and see the trauma in the migrants’ eyes, it helps to pause and listen to Sister Norma. We were blessed that she made time to talk with us. Sister Norma is a big name in the valley and known around the world. In person, she is a calm, settling presence that turns your fear into hope and your anger into love. Her stories and her strength were an inspiration our team will not soon forget.
On the last full day in Texas, we met a group of travelers who were just released from detention. We quickly made new friends. Pastor Carlos Navarro from West Brownsville Baptist Church brings an energy of excitement and joy when he picks up travelers from the detention center and welcomes them into his church. The joy, fun and silliness eases the tension and brings a smile to those who are worried and uncertain about what happens next.
Travelers released from the detention center spend a night or two at the welcome house the church owns and then they catch a bus or fly to other parts of the United States to meet friends or family as they await their asylum cases.
At the airport the next day we ran into a couple of the men we met the day before at the church. We speak very little Spanish; they spoke a little more English and yet we put together a conversation. They thanked us for the warm welcome we offered the day before and told us it brought tears to their eyes. We talked about music, family and the journey ahead. We are traveling home, they into the unknown. My hope is that our friendship and conversation is able to sustain them with joy and comfort for as long as possible. Right now, their chances of staying in our country are slim.
Traveling back home, I contemplated what to do next. Migration is a complicated issue without easy solutions. I will pray, I will advocate, and I will get involved at a local refugee center. But I will also remember that sometimes the easy things are also the important things. A smile, a handshake, a jug of water, a silly welcome and a heartfelt prayer make a huge difference. These things mean the world to those who have been hurt, abused and refused by their home and on the journey. The easy things are important things. They are also the things so simple they can be done by everyone. Even you!
“Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. “Matthew 10:42