MISSION TRIP:
Roughly 15,000 Haitian immigrants arrived at the U.S. Mexico border near Del Rio, Texas. Images of the inhumane treatments, including whipping by border patrols on horses, and the unfair and unlawful mass deportation that ensued, made it necessary for advocates etc. to step in in response.

I began meeting with concerned parishioners and those directly affected with family and friends on the border and decided to reach local leaders with whom I have collaborated in the past, and some of whom are my parishioners. The week of the migrant arrival was chaotic with the media, elected officials, and members of the Haitian community running to Texas to help. With the threat that the bridge would have fully been cleared by Friday, September 24th, we opted to wait and see how many migrants would be coming to our doors here in Brooklyn and Queens.

Once the bridge cleared in the early afternoon of Friday, September 24th, the camera lights turned off, advocates and members of the community began to head back to their homes, and the news stopped reporting on the issues. However, the narrative that the Haitians were either deported, reunited with family members, or returned to Mexico did not add up. With the mix reporting and the break in contact with the people who were on the ground, we opted to travel to Texas and see for ourselves whether the transfer centers were indeed cleared, created alliances so are aware ahead of time of the folks coming to NY, and determine other effective ways to address this matter, particularly as it has been rumored that there are 3 times as many Haitian migrants on the way from South America.

On Monday, September 24, our group departed from JFK New York to Houston Texas. Immediately upon arrival, we went to the NACC Disaster Services, a center that welcomed thousands of migrants from the border for a maximum of three days before they are transferred to their sponsor in various states.

Upon arrival, we were told that all volunteers were sent home, trucks and buses returned, and they were clearing house as there were less than 50 migrants left to travel in the next day or so, and no more migrants would be coming. Pastor Ortega, the founder and executive director of the NACC, upon learning that the group was accompanied by a priest from New York, decided to meet with us, and the meeting last for more than hour. Pastor Ortega walked our team through the process of migrants from the border to his doors.

Upon arrival at the NACC, migrants are tested for COVID-19, processed for reunification with family members ready to purchase their tickets, fed, clothes, assigned sleeping arrangements until they leave. As we were being given a tour of the facilities, Pastor Ortega received a call that there would be buses of migrants arriving at his center within hours. As there were very few workers left, and practically no volunteers, we offered to help. More than 50 migrants (women, men, and small children) arrived at the center, bewildered, scared, exhausted, and completely oblivious to their destination. Some of them had already been shuffled from one detention center to another and were afraid that they are arriving at yet another or being taken for deportation. It was good to be the ones to welcome them and reassure them that they were safe. We quickly registered as volunteers, turned in our id, etc., and began processing our brothers and sisters who were so in need of kind souls, kind words, and kind gestures. A few families had sponsors who were ready to welcome them but could not afford the airplane or bus tickets. We personally paid for tickets and reached out to some folks back in NY for help. We were able to reunite families who didn’t stand a chance and were at risk of returning
to detention centers, and eventually getting deported. We worked hours until all the new arrivals had their plane tickets and bus reservations.

We left the NACC at nine o’clock and drove a full hour to meet with our colleague, Dr. Berotte, who had been our contact on the ground, both at the NACC and other centers and churches. Dr. Berotte recounted her experience of the week when thousands of migrants processed at the NACC in Houston, and centers and churches in San Antonio, Del Rio, and other border cities. Through Dr Berotte, we were able to connect with other leaders and organizations throughout Texas.

Day 2: We drove to San Antonio from local groups learning that there were numerous migrants being held in detention centers in San Antonio. We visited an ICE detention center, which did not allow our group to come in, but allowed me to enter and speak to an officer.

The officer explained that there were no Haitian migrants in that particular location but confirmed that there were other places where they were being held. The officer also shared that upon retirement, she would like to be able to do the type of mission work that we were doing. She shared her number should we need further assistance and walked me through the process of tracing people who were being detained. We spent the day scouting other locations where our brothers and sisters were being helped, while the public was being told that there were no more of these migrants in Texas.

That evening, upon returning to Houston, we learned of roughly 800 Haitian migrants who had been left in a motel outside Del Rio since that Friday without adequate support. We connected late that night with a local protestant church that had been trying to help them with little resources. We were able to share some insights and give them some guidance on the swiftest ways to get support. As our group was made of people who do that type of work on the ground and had experience working with migrants in Mexico and Guantanamo Bay, we were able to contribute in meaningful ways. That night, we were able to send them 1500 dollars to ensure that the church could purchase emergency supplies and provide food for a day or two, as they needed additional support.

Day 3: We visited local Haitian churches of different denominations, and in the afternoon returned to the NACC in case more migrants came in. Again, upon arrival, we were able to speak to the staff and sit with Pastor Ortega for a long while. We toured the full facility, including a warehouse able to assist numerous cities in times of disaster. We advocated for the 800 people outside Del Rio and connected them for the appropriate follow-up.

While meeting with Pastor Ortega, we were again told that buses were needed for migrants who were being released at the border of Del Rio. All throughout our stay, deportation planes continued to arrive in Haiti daily, all the while letting the general public believe the crisis was over.

Through the daily live reporting that Gina of Kompa Guide was sharing with our folks on the ground, we received numerous calls from community members looking for family members who arrived at the border who were neither deported nor connected with families. We were able to trace some and connect others to local groups who may be able to assist in their search.

Late that afternoon, we met via telephone with Congressman Gregory Meeks, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, about the border situation. He shared our concerns and shared with us a letter that he sent to DHS asking the whereabouts of the Haitian migrants. We had also set up a community forum with the Congressman on the matter, hosted by HAUP, for the Monday upon our return. That night, we met with an immigration attorney who worked for one of our groups in New York and has since moved to Texas. We were surprised at how little people in Texas who were outside of the immigration or advocacy work knew about the migrant situation right there in their cities.

Day 4: Early in the morning, we returned to the NACC for the immigrants who were released from the border the day before and flew back to New York on the afternoon of the 30th.
 

POST MISSION TRIP:
The Friday after our return, we briefly connected as a group, and committed to report to our respective parish or staff over the weekend.

On Monday morning, we had an interview with NET TV scheduled at Sacred Heart (Reporter: Jessica), about our experiences on the border, the fate of the migrants who were arriving in New York, etc. The interview aired on NET TV on Tuesday, October 2nd.

On Monday, October 1st at 2 PM, HAUP sponsored a “Texas Border Mission Trip Panel”, which was a debriefing session with the community, elected officials, etc., with the team that travelled.

At 6 pm, also on Monday, HAUP hosted Congressman Gregory Meeks in a Facebook live forum, with the team that travelled and the community. Everyone on the team has remained committed and engaged to the original mission to support and find resources for our brothers and sisters. We have since then:

• Match migrants to lawyers
• Provided much emotional support to a couple of the families we have helped process back in Houston
• Provided cash assistance through the generosity of Catholic Charities and HAUP
• Have purchased additional tickets for families to reunite, through the generation of Sacred Heart parishioners and other donors
• Have connected countless people to families
• Have been on countless dialogues with elected officials, community base organizations, church leaders, etc. to create a plan of action to support these migrants
• Have connected with attorneys, health care providers for pro bono services to migrants with urgent issues
• Continue to advocate to local elected officials, conduct interviews, and garnish support for the immigrants both here and those still stuck in detention centers at the border
• Have reached out to sister organizations for support and services for the migrants

NEEDS: 
The migrants who come off the border need housing, cash assistance, schooling, health care, and every type of support to help them resettle. As these migrants do not hold refugee status, they are not eligible for the type of benefits and access afforded to refugees. There needs to be alternative sources of funding to support the work that we collaboratively want to do.
 

TO DATE, WE HAVE SUPPORTED, LOVED AND ASSISTED OUR NEWLY ARRIVED BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM THE BORDER WITH THE SUPPORT OF HAUP AND RESOURCES FROM CATHOLIC CHARITIES AS FOLLOWS:

• Assessing overall need per migrant family
• Providing Food Distribution
• Providing Cash Assistance and Food Vouchers
• Enrolling pregnant and new mothers into Maternal Infant Health programs
• Legal Clinics
• Referring and escorting for Medical Care (Clinics, hospitals, private pro bono physicians)
• Enrolling migrants in ESL classes
• HAUP has begun a legal network project, where new migrants can receive assistance in preparing their documents for first and subsequent appearances until they are matched with a pro bono attorney and/or hiring an attorney.
• First Thanksgiving Dinner was planned for Thanksgiving Day at noon at Sacred Heart to welcome the newcomers and thank their host family.