Ciudad Juárez Archives

As migrants face a closing door to the U.S., bishops accompany them

Sep 26, 2019

In anticipation of the 2019 World Day for Migrants and Refugees, a group of bishops, women religious, lay ministers and others interested in the plight of migrants spent the days prior to the Sept. 29 observance listening to tales of hope, dashed dreams, resilience and uncertainty that are in abundance among migrants in this border region.

By Rhina Guidos

To understand border issues, Americans immerse themselves for a week
- Nov 20, 2017
EL PASO, Texas — Eight U.S. citizens caught glimpses of hope and inequity during a week spent along the U.S.-Mexico border. “You can learn things in books, but I’m one of those people who learn things by seeing them firsthand,” Mercy Sister Eileen Trainor, one of the participants from New

By Melissa Vida
El Paso and Ciudad Juarez: Sister cities, worlds apart
- Nov 13, 2017
Increased control of the U.S.-Mexican border between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez started in the 1990s to fight the international drug trade, and 9/11 marked a turning point in its militarization. In 2008, corrugated metal fencing was built and cut the binational city in two. Workers lost jobs, and families lost family members. El Paso’s sister city sank into poverty and drug-fueled violence.

By Melissa Vida
‘Flash mob’ spotlights Pope’s vision on prison reform
- Nov 29, 2016
A “flash mob” will be staged Thursday in an Italian prison, featuring a zumba routine set to the tune of “Pope is Pop,” highlighting Francis’s vision on prison reform, and it comes at a time when Americans in particular may be increasingly ready to listen.

By John L. Allen Jr.