U. S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS DELEGATION TO THE BORDER REGION

The USCCB Committee on Migration sent a delegation to the U.S./Mexico border region to study the plight of unaccompanied minors and human trafficking victims.  The ever-growing problems with these populations are some of the gravest and many times most overlooked symptoms of the broken and out-dated immigration system currently employed by the United States. 

The delegation met with a broad cross-section of agencies and individuals involved with or knowledgeable of these populations to gain critical insights and to understand their needs.  The delegation also met with Church officials, government officials, community-based organization, and other with important perspectives.  Programs established to serve these populations were also be visited.

Efforts were made to connect with the bishops and other Church leaders on the Mexican side of the border in order to better understand the circumstances and perspectives there.  Particular attention was paid to potential areas of collaboration between Church programs and others in Mexico and the U.S.

The delegation's trip began in Tucson, AZ on Monday, October 23rd 2006.  The second leg of the trip took place in Houston, TX from Oct. 24th to the 26th.  The bishops finished their border delegation in El Paso, TX from Oct. 26th to the 29th.  For a more detailed version of where and what the delegation did, go to Delegation's Itinerary.

This blog has been designed to allow its viewers to follow the bishops on their trip, to learn what they learned, see what they saw, and to hear in their own words their impressions, thoughts, and conclusions.

Please note that the narration provided herein was documented by USCCB and CLINIC staff, and has been posted as submitted.

• Tucson, AZ - Monday, October 23 - (Day 1)

• Nogales, AZ - Tuesday, October 24 - (Day 2)

• Houston, TX - Wednesday, October 25 - (Day 3)

• Houston, TX -Thursday, October 26 - (Day 4)

• El Paso, TX - Friday, October 27 - (Day 5)

• El Paso, TX - Saturday, October 28 - (Day 6)

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Tucson, AZ

Monday, October 23 (Day 1)

Today we traveled by bus from Tucson, Arizona to Mexico.  We wanted to begin the delegation by seeing a key point where trafficking victims and minors pass through.  We also wanted to meet migrants and ask them about their experiences.

We planned our day around a trip to Altar, Mexico, a common stopover for migrants on their way to the United States.  On the way to Altar, we visited Magdalena to visit the remains of Fr. Eusebio Kino,  a 17th century missionary and explorer.   His crypt keeps his remains for visitors.  We took this picture in front of the chapel of St. Francis Xavier. 

On the way, we received briefings from service providers and advocates from several agencies in Arizona.  Joanne Welter, Director of the Catholic Social Mission Diocese of Tucson  and Tricia Hoyt, Director, Office of Peace and Justice, Catholic Social Service, Diocese of Phoenix, discussed Diocesan work and cross-border collaboration (Click here to listen to "Day 1 Joanne/Tricia Intro").

Erica Dahl-Bredine, the Mexico Country Manager of Catholic Relief Services  discussed her work.  Erica guided the delegation in Altar, and offered translation for the group. In the lead-up to our visit to Altar, she briefed us about this important migration point and how it fits within the context of greater socio-economic changes. (Click here to listen to "Day 1 Erica").

Tim Jefferson, of the Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking (ALERT),  gave a general overview of trafficking issues and his group’s work around them. (Click here to listen to "Day 1 Tim Jefferson") Staff from the Catholic Community Services in Tucson and the Casa San Juan Immigrant Center also gave informative presentations about their services and the work they do with migrants, especially minors and victims of human trafficking.

When we got to Altar, we went straight to the Centro Comunitario de Atención al Migrante y Necesitado (CCAMYN), a migrant center.  It opened in 2001 with the purpose of providing “an oasis in the desert for our migrant brothers and sisters.”  The Center offers meals, showers, medical care, and beds to migrants.  It also warns them about the dangers of crossing the harsh terrain on the way to the United States.   They gave us a tour of the premises, which were well-kept and comfortable, especially in comparison to local privately-owned guest houses, which we saw a few of afterwards.

We met with the center’s volunteer staff.   They described many issues they face in their work.  This volunteer-staffed center sees many migrants on their way to the United States, but also many people who are heading home.  They talked about the many obstacles facing those seeking a better life for themselves and their families.  From bandits, to cheating smugglers, to snakes, to the extremes of the desert’s climate, the migrant’s face an extremely difficult challenge. 

One result of stricter border enforcement is that professional smuggling networks arise to help migrants.  Many of the smugglers also participate in human trafficking.  They hold captive and put into forced labor the migrants they take to the United States.  Many are kept as sex workers.  Such an underground system of smuggling and trafficking thrives because of the restrictive nature of our immigration system.

 We were able to talk with 6 migrants at the center.  They ranged in age, with the    

 eldest being a man of 72 years of age.  He hoped to meet up with his daughter in 

 Texas.  The Bishops asked them about where they came from, and why they were

 leaving.  They came from as far as Honduras and Chiapas in hope of finding better

 lives.  Several of the migrants left families behind.  Their situations were so bad, they

 had no choice but to leave to make their families’ lives better. (Click here to listen to  

 "Day 1 Migrant Voices")

We ended the trip to Altar with a lovely mass. Our Bishops led the service.

For more information about what we plan to do on this leg of the trip see the Delegation Itinerary.

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Nogales, AZ

Tuesday, October 24 (Day 2)

We made our way back down towards the border, to Nogales to tour the U.S. Border Patrol's facilities and holding cells.  The purpose of this was to learn how unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking are apprehended and processed.

On the way to the Border Patrol’s station, we received two informative briefings.  Debra Fergus, of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program, talked about the social and legal services her agency provides to victims of trafficking and minors.  She discussed the needs of foster care programs, family reunification and sponsorship.  She also went into the gaps in service provisions.  (Click here to listen to "Day 2 Debra Fergus")

We also heard from the Florence Project’s Children’s Immigration Attorney, Aryah Sommers (photo on the left). 

The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project is a nonprofit legal service organization that provides free legal services to men, women and children detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).   Aryah talked about serving as an advocate for children.  She talked about technical issues, such as types of legal relief that can be used to protect children.  She also talked about the nature of working with children as a lawyer, which she termed “therapeutic jurisprudence.”  (Click here to listen to "Day 2 Aryah Sommers) 

At the Border Patrol station in Nogales, we met with the Patrol Agent in Charge, John Fitzpatrick.  The Tucson sector, he told us, had the most migration of any border area.  The station in Nogales is the largest in the nation, and accounts for 40% of all border arrests.  Last year, they apprehended 400,000 migrants.

Other Patrol agents and representatives of other government agencies joined, as well.  They described the “strange combination” of protecting the border, while also conducting search and rescue operations for migrants and others lost in the desert.  Given the difficulty of the journey, they said that Border Patrol agents often conduct searches for those whose lives are in danger. 

They took us on a tour of the facilities.  One room featured dozens of monitors linked to cameras placed in the border area.  Staff watched the monitors for signs of movement.  We also witnessed first-hand the holding cells and processing areas where migrants are brought in, fingerprinted, and held until they are deported, depart, or make a legal claim.  Several dozen minors were in their custody -- some of whom were unaccompanied. 

One part of the facility was a large holding area that fills up during busy migration times:

Bishops Soto, Barnes, and Ochoa speak to an officer

Large holding area inside the detention center

Following the Border Patrol, we visited the San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson.  The Bishops presided over Mass at this Franciscan mission that dates back to the 17^th century. 

San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson

Bishop McCormack gave an excellent homily celebrating the mission’s founder, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, as a prime example of the imperative to welcome the stranger with open arms.  Father Kino is remembered centuries later for the bridges he built.  The Church must continue this legacy.

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Houston, TX

Wednesday, October 25 (Day 3)

We began the day with a visit to the United States Attorney's Office -- Southern District of Texas to look at the relationship between law enforcement and non-governmental organizations, including faith-based agencies, providing services to human trafficking victims. We received a background briefing on their protocol on identification, case assessment and victim support services.

They featured a profile of Houston's Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA), a "collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies working together with area social service organizations to identify and assist the victims of human trafficking and to effectively identify, apprehend, and prosecute those engaged in trafficking." HTRA seems to be a model for bringing together government and community-based agencies to work on trafficking. He discussed several successful cases in which they prosecuted traffickers. (Click here to listen to: Day 3 US Attorney)

Before our next meeting with ICE, Father Juan Molina of the San Antonio office of the Catholic Relief Services Southwest Regional Office talked very briefly about how CRS studied trafficking patterns. He noted that CRS would see the same people they helped in their overseas relief work would end up as trafficking victims here.

Our next meeting was with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement an agency within the Dept. of Homeland Security. We wanted to analyze its role in prosecuting human trafficking cases. They described how they investigate cases, the obstacles they face, and how they deal with trafficked juveniles. The relationship between ICE personnel and faith-based service providers also came up for discussion.

(Click here to listen to: Day 3 ICE Meeting)
 

At noon, we went to St. Michael's Home for Children in order to further understand the range of housing and social services provided to unaccompanied non-citizen children. St. Michael's is run by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston.

We shared lunch with the children, as well as staff. They talked about how children get to the home, what the home provides, and how the home relates to governmental agencies.

Among the services St. Michael's provides is therapy. Many of the residents suffered traumatic experiences in their migration. They traveled great distances, often witnessing or suffering violence themselves. A therapist with St. Michael's discussed the use of art in helping children recover from their traumas. They children used art to tell their stories and express themselves. Several of the children shared their art for us and told us their moving stories, from the moment they left home until they arrived at the home. They were all severely home sick, and several felt like they failed since they left home to find work to help their families subsist. To see such a burden on such young shoulders was an emotional experience for all of us.
 

After visiting St. Michael's, we went over to the Chancery of the Archdiocese where the Bishops presented a commendation from USCCB to Archbishop DiNardo for the tremendous services Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston provides unaccompanied minors and human trafficking victims at the St. Michael's Home for Children and the St. Jerome Emiliani's Home for Children. Local media covered the award, as well as the delegation. (Click here to listen to: Day 3 commendation)

The delegation then headed over to St. Jerome Emiliani's Home for Children to further observe the range of housing and social services provided to unaccompanied non-citizen children there. While St. Michael's homes gives unaccompanied minors livelihood until they are processed through the immigration system, St. Jerome's is a foster home that houses children with legal status. Many of its residents are teenaged asylees and refugees. Staffed 24 hours a day, the home lets these trauma-ridden youth live a semblance of a normal, structured life – a naturally challenging transition. The youth we met there attend school. Several of them partake in extracurricular activities, such as soccer, and wrestling. To think that many of them fled war-torn conditions, often leaving no surviving family behind, it was uplifting to see them rebuild their lives.

During the evening, we headed over to Casa Juan Diego, a migrant center. We ate dinner with the staff and the undocumented workers the center services. We participated in a liturgy together. The migrants were from all over the world, as far away as the Philippines. They worked hard or spent the days looking for work. Few had any possessions besides will and their faith.

At the end of this grueling day, I had a chance to ask Bishop Ochoa for his reflections. (Click here to listen to: Day 3 Bishop Ochoa)

For more information on the day's events, see the Delegation Itinerary.

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 Houston, TX

 Thursday, October 26 (Day 4)

 

 Today we rounded out our trip to Houston with a series of meetings with local 

 service providers and advocates. Yesterday, we met with governmental

 enforcement agencies. Later in the day, we met migrants, trafficking victims, and

 minors themselves.  Today, we talked extensively with the service providers

 about their challenge of building working relations with the government while 

 attending to the needs of newcomers.

 After morning mass at the Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston, we began a 

 morning full of continuous meetings.  We discussed issues relating to

 unaccompanied minors and human trafficking victims with Catholic and faith-

 based service providers, the Houston Area Trafficking Coalition, and private 

 practitioners who provide pro bono legal representation.

The meetings were intense, with representatives of numerous organizations painting a picture of the Houston-area services and the long evolution of the area's anti-trafficking coalitions.  Detailed conversations delved into the nitty gritty of programmatic operations. Some of the many groups represented included the Dominican sisters, the YMCA, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, CLINIC, and a private law firm.

Bishops Ochoa, Soto, & Barnes
 

Bonna Kol, the head of the Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston, talked to me generally about the work they do with unaccompanied minors and the victims of human trafficking – from the shelters and foster homes to the legal programs.  She also talked about the greater immigration debate and how it relates to the agency's work. (Click here to listen to: Day 4 Bonna Kol)

We also heard from Gracie Romero and Michelle Fuentes of the International Catholic Migration Commission.  Gracie talked about ICE apprehensions of minors. On occasion, ICE abruptly separated them from their families, and sent them to distant detention centers.  Michelle filled us in about the health and mental health care needs of victims and minors.  Natalie Lummert of the USCCB introduced them briefly and their work.

The supervising attorney of the Catholic Charities' legal program, Wafa Abdin, led a  presentation on the Houston Area Trafficking Coalition.  Along with John Sullivan of Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P., she went over the legal services provided to unaccompanied minors, the vast majority of whom still go to court without legal representation. Sullivan's firm partners with the coalition on a pro bono basis. They discussed recent trafficking cases in Houston, and reviewed the challenges they come against in their work.  (Click here to listen to: Day 4 Wafa Abdin).
 

Wafa Abdin, CC Houston      
 

After we left, I caught up with one of the meeting's attendees, Mary DeLorey, a policy advisor with Catholic Relief Services. She laid out some of the root causes of human trafficking, from the economics of the home countries of the victims, to education access, and several other determinant factors. (Click here to listen to: Day 4 Mary DeLorey)  She told me CRS will be publishing a study on unaccompanied minors.  The study, she says, explores the links between minors migrating by themselves and the dangers of human trafficking.

In the afternoon, we left to the airport for the final phase of the delegation.  At the airport, Bishop Soto reflected on the art created by the youth at St. Michael's the day before.  He found the pictures they painted, and the stories they told, deeply moving. (Click here to listen to: Day 4 Bishop Soto)  He also analyzed what the issues of unaccompanied minors and human trafficking say about the state of the immigration system (Click here to listen to: Bishop Soto).

I also had the opportunity to interview Bishop Barnes.  He reviewed broadly what we have done during the trip so far, and what he considers to be the essential issues underlying the fact-finding purpose of the delegation (Click here to listen to: Day 4 Bishop Barnes).  He also spoke, in Spanish, about how the delegation has related so far to the original mission for the delegation (Click here to listen to: Day 4 Bishop Barnes - Spanish)

As we headed for El Paso, we carried with us a list of areas of inquiry.  We'll be meeting with Border Patrol during the day, and touring the border with them.  We will carry in our hearts the stories of the migrants, minors and trafficking victims, as well as the ideals of the driven service providers we met in Houston, Tucson and Altar.

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El Paso, TX

Friday, October 27 (Day 5)

We arrived in El Paso late last night and had an evening meeting with a legal service provider for unaccompanied children and two entities assisting victims of trafficking.  Sr. Lilliana of Las Americas described how her organization is the only legal service provider for all the unaccompanied children in federal custody in El Paso.  She described some the challenges Las Americas faces in their work with these children, including the time the children must wait before returning to their home countries and the obstacles to obtaining immigration relief for children who need protection within the United States.  We watched a new video released by the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children which assists children in understanding what is happening in immigration court.

We recognized how immigration court and proceedings can be very confusing and sometimes frightening to unaccompanied children and the importance of having an attorney for them.

We also listened to a presentation by Leticia Lopez Manzano of Casa YMCA and Sr. Yolanda Martinez of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. They told us about how they worked as a team to be first responders when a young boy was rescued by law enforcement from a trafficking situation in El Paso.  Their story was a reminder of the victimization of children through the crime of trafficking still occurring in our country.  The young Central American boy had been kept in slavery-like conditions until a neighbor notified the Catholic community about his situation and law enforcement became involved. Together, the YMCA and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity provided a safe haven for the young boy until he could be placed in a longer-term licensed program.  The boy is now safe and recovering from the trauma he faced. 

Early today we began the day with a tour of the South West Key program in El Paso which can house up to nearly 100 children.  Through discussions with the staff and International Catholic Migration Commission Field Coordinators, one issue which was striking to us was the situation of Guatemalan children seeking to reunite with family in the United States.  We realized that these children are particularly disadvantaged since many of them, and their families, speak Spanish as a second language.  As a result, it can be difficult for these children and their families to navigate a system mainly designed to serve the Spanish-speaking population.  We were particularly concerned to hear that children were reporting that their families in Guatemala were losing their lands when they were unable to pay back debts owed to smugglers.  This concern had been pointed out to us in a previous city as well.  We also heard about the mental health concerns of the population in general, including the extreme stress the children face in family reunification decisions and pressures.

Next we took part in a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (El Paso Sector) presentation and tour in El Paso. We learned that the El Paso sector includes 180 miles of land border and 86 miles of river border, and that in FY06, 122,245 total apprehensions took place in the sector. (They did not have child apprehension numbers readily available).   We were told that 34 people died attempting to cross the border in the El Paso Sector in Fiscal Year 2006.  We were interested in the fact that only 9% of the total apprehensions were female, while we have been hearing of approximately 20% of the female unaccompanied child population in custody from the various programs serving the population. 

Border Patrol agents receive 19 weeks of formal training at their designated academy. When asked about training in the identification of victims of trafficking and child interviewing skills, Border Patrol spokespersons told us that such topics may be included through on the job training.  As we discussed the experiences of children in the apprehension and custody process, Border Patrol spokespersons told us that it is traumatic for children to be detained. 

We proceeded with a tour of the border on a Homeland Security bus typically used to remove undocumented migrants.  The bus had tinted windows with bars, and a gated fence between us and the driver who was wearing a bullet-proof vest.  Sitting on the bus, we imagined the experience of the people who are returned to Mexico on such busses.  We reflected on the stories of migrants we have met on the trip and some of their despairing circumstances as they sought to make a new life in our country.  On one stop to view a fence between El Paso and Juarez, young children ran up to the fence on the Mexican side to shake our hands through the small holes.  On the tour, we also visited the Border Patrol holding cells, Inspections facilities, and Immigration and Custom Enforcement detention.  We heard about the recent Border Patrol apprehension of a 12 year old girl who was attempting to run away from her abusive family in Mexico. We hoped she was now safe in her country after Border Patrol implemented its policy of returning Mexican children to the custody of Mexican Consulate officials.

Border Crossing Monument

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El Paso, TX

Saturday, October 28 (Day 6)

This morning we learned more from Julianne Duncan, Associate Director of Children’s Services at USCCB/MRS about the foster care options available for unaccompanied children in federal custody. These programs provide small home-like environments in contrast to the large shelter facilities.

We visited one of these programs this morning in El Paso, administered by the Lutheran Social Services of the South (LSSS)During this visit with staff, foster families and children in care, we observed that the children felt relaxed and happy despite the difficult situation of being in immigration proceedings. Foster parents spoke about how children arrived feeling very anxious and even fearful sometimes but that their anxieties and fears subsided as they were welcomed and cared for in their homes.  We learned about the increased number of small children seeking to reunite with parents in the United States. Children of diverse ages were in the program, including an adolescent girl with a new baby.  This young woman asked Bishop Barnes and Bishop Ochoa to bless her new baby boy. 

Next was a press event in downtown El Paso where Bishop Barnes and Bishop Ochoa spoke with the press about the delegation and some of their finding thus far.  The Bishops spoke about how the immigration system is broken and President Bush’s unfortunate endorsement of the construction of a 700-mile fence at the border. They told the press that there is a serious need to understand the issue of trafficking and provide services for these victims. They mentioned that not all law enforcement agencies we spoke with understood the law on human trafficking and how to identify these situations.  

They told everyone that because of many unaccompanied children’s undocumented status and the limited resources available to them, they become highly vulnerable to mistreatment, abuse, and violation of legal rights.  The Bishops told everyone that “Americans should question any system, particularly one that deals with children and crime victims, that offends the human dignity of such people solely by reason of their immigration status.” 

In the afternoon we traveled across the border to Juarez to see first hand where the unaccompanied Mexican children are returned after they are caught by immigration officials in the United States.  The first shelter was the non-government shelter, Casa YMCA Del Menor Migrante, which cares for a number of Mexican and sometimes children from other countries who have no other place to go.  The director discussed with the Bishops her concerns about the population of children she sees. She mentioned that her program was “like an aspirin” helping children, but there were larger social and political situations affecting them that needed to be addressed.  Again, we heard from her about the problem of building a wall along the border and how this would not solve the problems affecting so many children and others.

We also visited the Mexican government run shelter, administered by Desarollo Integral Familiar (DIF).  We learned about the processes of returning Mexican children from the United States and how this program seeks to reunite them with family in Mexico.

Unfortunately, they find that many of the children who are returned to Mexico have more family, including parents, in the U.S. rather than in Mexico. We met one such child who had been in the shelter for two days. He had been living in New Mexico with his parents for four years until immigration enforcement apprehended him without his parents and returned him to Mexico.  He told us he would try again to return to the U.S. on his own.  Another group of children at the shelter just arriving as we visited were local Mexican children who had been on a school field trip collecting insects. They had not realized that they were on U.S. land until U.S. Border Patrol officials arrested them, took their fingerprints and turned them over to the Mexican officials.  They looked very disoriented as they entered the shelter.  

Our last visit of the day was to the Casa del Migrante in Juarez, run by the Scalabrinian Order.  The shelter houses migrants who are removed from the U.S. as well as those who are making their way north from other parts of Mexico as well as Central American countries.  We were very surprised to learn that of the over 1400 people housed by the shelter this year, approximately 500 were under the age of 18, emphasizing for us again the number of children among the population of migrants.  Fr. Carlos Amado, one of the administrators of Casa del Migrantes, in fact told us about how the average age of the migrants is decreasing dramatically. 

Bishop Renato Ascensio Leon, Bishop of Juarez, met us at the shelter.  He stressed for all of us his concerns about the situation of migrants in his diocese as well as all of Mexico.  A particular need in the city of Juarez is shelter for women, both a safe place for migrants, as well as the general population. While Casa del Migrante serves women and their families, the Priests spoke of their concern for their safety in particular. 

Bishop Renato Ascensio Leon, Bishop of Ciudad Juarez (Left)

Tomorrow is the last day of the delegation’s tour.  We will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral in El Paso and begin our de-briefing and formulate next steps for how the Catholic Bishops can assist the situation of unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking. 

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