U.S.-Mexico border Archives

An unpopular immigration policy may end, but not for all

Jul 9, 2021

The call to end a U.S. policy that keeps migrants out because of COVID-19 fears has been a constant rallying cry among immigrant advocate circles this summer.

By Rhina Guidos

Priest says detained migrant children ‘hungry’ for faith

Jun 29, 2021

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Father Franciscus Asisi Eka Yuantoro was welcomed earlier this month into a government facility for unaccompanied minors in Donna, Texas, to celebrate Mass, which he called a “blessing.”

By John Lavenburg

Spirituality underpins migrant activism in U.S. borderlands

Jun 8, 2021

Protecting migrants and honoring the humanity of those who died on the perilous trail is a kind of religion in southern Arizona where spiritual leaders four decades ago founded the Sanctuary Movement, a campaign to shelter Central Americans fleeing civil war.

By Anita Snow

At urging of U.S. bishops, Catholic leaders to meet on immigration

May 28, 2021

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will host an emergency meeting with prelates from Central America as well as Vatican representatives June 1 and 2 in Chicago to set forth a path for the U.S. church’s response to immigration.

By Rhina Guidos

Sister Norma Pimentel urges President Biden to visit U.S.-Mexico border

May 6, 2021

The announcement that the Biden administration was raising the limit of annual refugee admissions from 15,000 to 62,500 was cause for celebration at a Georgetown University online discussion of migrant issues May 4.

By Kurt Jensen

Biden administration halts border projects funded with military money

May 4, 2021

The Biden administration announced April 30 it would stop paying for construction projects along the southern border between Mexico and the U.S., which were being funded with money originally designated for the military.

By Rhina Guidos

However humble, colonia feels like home for these migrants

May 1, 2021

In the northern part of Donna, Maria Hernandez lives with her five children in a yellow mobile home. One of its shattered windows is boarded up; an air conditioner, propped up by a wooden pole, hangs from another. Among the items sitting on the ground outside are a broken toilet, a toddler’s car seat, and a mop.

By John Lavenburg

Report shows higher-than-average COVID-19 spread among immigrant detainees

Apr 28, 2021

A recent analysis by The New York Times found evidence for what many Catholic organizations and other entities warned about at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States — the faster spread of the coronavirus among those detained in facilities for immigration violations.

By Rhina Guidos