THANK YOU ❤️

 GREG is here❤️. Happy Birthday!

Our Usual Day…… Joe and I would get up at 6am.  Our shower tiles were taped together with duct tape but we did have a private bathroom with hot water! (Luxury).  Unfortunately we had a water leak - so we mopped everyday!  In a few weeks we would be moving to another building so that they can renovate Casa Papa Francisco , clean up mold, asbestos.   

   Joe and I usually were the breakfast cooks for all our guests and volunteers.  It was mainly coffee, tea, hot chocolate, oatmeal, cereal, powdered milk, white buttered toast and fresh fruit.  We occasionally had eggs and pancakes. Desayuno (breakfast) was at 8am for everyone, lunch at 12:15 and dinner at 6 pm.  New guests were always introduced and welcomed.  A refugee woman from Venezuela or the Social Security women did most of the cooking.  We had rice and beans, arapes ,tomales, soup.  Every Wednesday a religious group brought in dinner for everyone.  Many people would drop off bread, pastries,eggs…..El Paso community was very supportive.  Our fruits, vegetables came from pantries.

   After breakfast the volunteers shared meditation and reflections to start the day.

    We would soon receive a report from our director as to how many guests we would receive that day and from what country.  Intake forms, transportation arrangements, room assignments were made.  House chores were laundry, trash, cleaning, meal preparation, etc. kept us busy always.  

   I proudly took over the “Roperia” the clothing store. Everyone usually needed new jeans, sweatshirts, jackets, socks, underwear, shoestrings.  They came with nothing.

   We had 2 shifts 7-2, 2-9.  By 9 pm I was asleep….repots sent, doors locked, phones charging.

   We had a big bulletin board with guest info, dates and departure notices, bus tickets, boarding passes etc.

   Trump recently closed down TSA entrance for anyone without a valid passport.  So travel now is mostly by bus or car.

   Joe ran the clinic where he treated minor events.  I taught English class, we played connect four and tv was allowed for guests in the evening.

   Guests helped with chores and were expected to keep their rooms clean and prepared for next guests at their departures..most people stayed 1-3 days .  Carol, our house director had a wonderful of explaining house rules to each guest. In Spanish!

   Laundry was quite interesting !  We had two very old washers and a clothesline.  Guests were expected to wash personal clothes by hand.  Towels, sheets, blankets were constantly being washed.  Occasionally we would take blankets to laundry in town.  Rooms were small with a bunk bed and single bed for 3-4 people.  There was a community bathroom.   

   Even though it was not part of our duties, Joe ended up doing a lot of transportation of guests to bus stations and airports.  Our transportation service ended in January with federal funding😩

   Again, we have met many wonderful people, often forced to migrate their countries and wanting a better, safer life for their families.  WHAT. wOULD. I DO ?????

 February 10, 2025

    OUR NEW HOME!

Next  week 10 high school students and 2 chaperones are coming from Delaware to take apart the bunk beds at Casa Papa Francisco and assemble at our new home.  We will be staying at Casa Vides for six days.  Casa Vides is downtown El Paso. 

    We have a family of 3 from Guatemala leaving for Plattsburgh, New York.  We have a family of six from Venezuela waiting.  We have five Social Security women also with us.  Last week we had one new guest, who had just turned 18 arrive.  He had come over the wall and left by Greyhound bus to Phoenix.  Today Border Patrol will not be releasing any family members.  Las night they were holding 115 refugees in custody and did not provide refugee encounters (detentions) for the past 24 hours in the El Paso sector.  

    Casa Vides also provides hospitality for a number of Mexican nationals, widows of US citizens who must spend a certain amount of time each year in the US to collect Social Security benefits in which they are entitled.

 February 9, 2025

    HAPPY 18 BIRTHDAY JACK!

 February 3, 2025

   " In a world filled with challenges, serving others requires courage, resilience and a deep sense of compassion.  Those who approach service with an open mind and heart ( and the ability to laugh when things don't go as planned ) can create meaningful change.”

    We walked over the bridge this morning at the Norte Del Paso crossing in El Paso.  Bright colorful murals greeted us on the Mexican border.  In contrast Barbed wire and the wall dominated the US side.  Juarez was lively, colorful and full of people, food vendors, street shops and music.  We slowly made our way to the Cathedral....we sampled crunchy grasshoppers, purchased salsa bowls and watched pachoukai baiarinas at the park.  We had expected to serve lunch at the Cathedral but it was closed today.  We had no trouble coming or going thru customs.  Border patrol was present.

 Today we had a day off so we went on a twenty four hour adventure.....Las Cruces Farmers Market, Almagordo for lunch with John and Lisa O'Brien, Pistachio farm tour and overnight in Cloudcroft!  It was all FUN..

 Our fellow co-workers.......

    Carol, Eila, and Lucy

Feb. 2, 2025

    Volunteer meeting tonight with Ruben Garcia, director.  It is the 47th anniversary of Annunciation House.  47 years ago five young adults made the decision to place themselves among the poor and allow the poor to lead them.

We took a tour of the new building complex being renovated for Annunciation House.  We will be moving from Casa Papa Francisco in the next few weeks.  Our building will be renovated, asbestos and lead removal and updated.  I wonder who will be coming there?  We are seeing no new guests today.......

 

 January 31, 2025......

        Well we have been here now almost 3 weeks.....we have settled in, we have met wonderful people and  we continue to experience and learn.  Thanks to all our family and friends for all your love and support.  We feel safe and happy in what we are doing.

    Life here has definitely changed since January 20.  Our numbers are down, shelters are closing and there is probably more fear in the lives of many we see.  We have heard many brave stories.  Futures are uncertain but hope is still alive.  

    Someone asked me....Why did you come?  Why are you still here?  I think we came because we wanted to experience the Border.  We are still here because we choose to be. 

 We do mostly hospitality....we welcome guests, provide them a shower with hot water, a bed, a hot meal......help them get airline tickets or bus tickets to family or friends.....and then they are gone.  We don't know what happens next.....were they able to reach their destinations, did they have trouble changing planes, are they scared in a new country?????  So many questions.  So much uncertainty.

    Monday we are going into Juarez, Mexico to serve lunch at the Cathedral.  I guess we wanted to experience the other side of the border.  We will walk over the bridge....I think I am a bit nervous....o fiddleeee deeee...... 

Juarez..........   

January 30, 2025......NEWS

    University Medical Center is discharging a 21 year old woman from Mexico who fell off the Border Wall.  She was first sent to a foster home to work on mobility and is now being discharged with crutches.....

    A federal judge has suspended criminal charges against Francisco Yanez, Mexico's top immigration official, in relation to the 2023 fire at the migrant detention center in Ciudad Juarez that killed 40 migrants and injured 27 others.  Wilson, a 21 year old male is a long term guest at Casa Papa Francisco where he has severe health issues due to the fire which was started and ignored by guards.

    The us Department of Defense, along with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, deported 80 Guatemalan migrants on Friday morning, Jan. 24 from Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas 

    Hidalgo Texas - As the new troops get settled in the Rio Grands Valley, deportations into Mexico continue at the International Port of Entry in Hidalgo.  About 50 people were based in the US Border Patrol agents.  On foot, in a single file line, children, women and men made their way into Mexico.  There, US Border Patrol officials turned them over to Mexican authorities.  This happened three times until all migrants were in Mexico. 

    Federal law enforcement have begun "immigration enforcement" raids in El Paso.  The FBI, along with our Department of Justice is assisting Department of Homeland Security's and other federal law enforcement partners with their immigration enforcement efforts.

    US Border Patrol agents returned fire after shots were fired at them from Mexico along the Rio Grands.

    US troops are expected to arrive at Fort Bliss for training before being deployed along the southern border.  It appears that 1500 troops are part of this mission.  The goal is to deploy US military troops along all four border states.  Encounters along the southern border are at the lowest levels.  The decrease is attributed to the policies of the Biden administration and Mexico, which has taken a greater hand in blocking migrants from reaching north.  Juarez is stuck between the politics of the US and Mexico and pinched with migrants arriving from the south and deportees arriving from the north.There is a need for temporary and permanent housing, feeding and care so people don't end up on the streets.

    The violent drug cartel underworld in Juarez is always hiring.  Workers are seen using socks of cement to seal a man made tunnel on the north embankment of the Rio Grands believed to be have been used by organized crime on the US border between Juarez and Mexico to smuggle migrants.

Mexico/United States border wall.....

    The border wall along the Mexico/US border is intended to reduce illegal immigration to the US from Mexico.  The barrier is not a continuous structure but a series of obstructions variously classified as "fences" or "walls".  Between the physical barriers, security is provided by a "virtual fence" of sensors, cameras and other surveillance equipment used to dispatch US Border Patrol agents to suspected migrant crossing.  In May 20011,the Depts of Homeland Security said it had 649 miles in place.  A total of 438 miles of new primary barriers were built during Trump's first term, though Trump had repeatedly promised a "giant wall" spanning the entire border.. The national border's length is 1954 miles of which 1256 miles is the Rio Grande and 699 miles is on land.

    On July 2022 The Biden administration announced it would fill four wide gaps in Arizona near yuma,  In October 2023 Biden announced that he was s=restarting wall construction on some part of the border due to the surge of migrant crossings, constructing an addition 20 miles of border wall.  On January 2025, re-elected Donald Trump edged to expand the wall during his second term.

Due to security reasons and risk of subpoenas I have been advised not to post a blog or send pictures.  I will NOT be blogging.  Not today!

                                                                        GO BILLS! 

 Saturday, January 25, 2025

    The US National Guard has pledged to provide "immediate support" after Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southwest border.  About 1500 US troops are to be sent to the Border.  The National Guard's involvement adds to a significant military presence at the border.  More than 4100 personnel from the Texas National Guard remain on active duty, reinforcing ongoing border security and enforcement operations.

What Happens Next

    The Associated Press reported on Friday that the Trump Administration will be expanding its use of "expedited removal" to deport migrants across the United States, despite concerns that the policy can be prone to mistakes.

    We see many people here fleeing Venezuela under Nicolas Madura.  The voice of the Venzuelian people has not been respected.  And the dismantling of democratic institutions has been accompanied by widespread violation and abuses of human right which are occurring now.

   Maduro has shown a blatant disregard for the rule of law.  This is a force impacting the entire region exacerbating humanitarianism and the migration crisis.

Drug Cartels in Mexico

    We also hear stories of violence from cartels as migrants flee across the border.  Due to its location, Mexico has long been used as a staging and transshipment point for narcotics and contraband between Latin America and US markets.

     Illicit drug use in Mexico is low compared the the United States but is on the rise.  The US is the worlds largest consumer of cocaine.  Their demand is what motivates the drug business.

    One of the main factors driving the Mexican drug was is widespread poverty.  In cities such as Ciudad Juarez, up to 60% of the economy depended on illegal sources of income.  Cartels have engaged in kidnapping, ransom murder, robbery and extortion of migrants traveling from Central America thru Mexico on their way to the United States.  There are also documented links between drug cartels and human trafficking, for forced labor, forced prostitution and rape.

     As of 2024 the Sinaloa Cartel is primarily involved in the distribution of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and remains Mexico's most dominant cartel.

    

BORTAC, or the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, is an elite tactical unit within the US Border Patrol that specializes in counterterrorism and high-risk situations came to El Paso.  BORTAC agents are sniper certified, carry large weapons, and are trined in flash bangs (?).  They respond to critical situations like terrorist threats, riots, and prison escapes, and are often deployed on high  -stakes busts.

 Darien Gap.....

       I know nothing about the the Darien Gap.  I had never heard of it in my geography class...

    Migrants risk death on the journey to the United States....Hundreds of thousands of migrants from Haiti, Venezuela and elsewhere risk their lives each year to cross the Darien Gap between Columbia and Panama.  The Darien Gap is an imposing obstacle and  one of the most dangerous migration risks.  The remote, roadless, crossing consists of more than 60 miles of dense rain forest, steep mountains and a vast swamp.  It is the only overland path connecting Central and South America.  Over the past few years, it has become a leading transit point for migrants in search of work and safety in the US, as authorities have cracked don on others routes by air and sea.

    However, migrants face many challenges on this land journey northward including treacherous terrain, exposures to disease and violence at the hands of criminal groups.  International aid organizations have sought to manage the crisis by setting up temporary housing and providing basic services to those arriving in Panama.

    Migrants Under Pressure....Economic insecurity, political upheavals and climate change are driving millions of people from their home countries.  According the the Panamanian government, more than 520,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap on route to the US in 2023.  Approximately 1/5 of those who made the crossing were children.  The majority of migrants were from Venezuela, followed by Ecuador and Haiti.  The number of Venezuelans crossing the gap has increased as the humanitarian situation in their home country grows more dire.

    Aside from Sonafront, Panama's national border service, there is no police force in the area and no formal road, making it difficult to stop arms and drug trafficking or find help.

    The journey is really bad especially when the rain comes.  It is just mud, rivers and going up mountainsides non-stop.  Deep in the jungle, robbery, rape and human trafficking are  as dangerous as wild animals, insects and absolute lack of safe drinking water.

    In March 2024, the Panamanian government suspended Doctors Without Borders operations in the country.  In July 2024, newly elected President Jose Mulino installed barbed wire fencing thru the jungle to dissuade crossings.

    Again, violence, poverty and hope for a better life conditions drive families with children to flee their home and face inhospitable environments such as the Darien Gap.

Netflix - Split at eh Root

Prime video - The Darien Gap documentary.

 January 24, 2025

    Everything is very quiet here.....no new guests today.

    We have a family of four leaving Monday for Nebraska, a family of 3 leaving for Atlanta on Wednesday and a family of six waiting.....We also have four ladies here whose husband's are deceased but earned Social Security.  They are here to spend 2 months in the United States to receive those benefits.

    Warrant Points for Volunteers:

1.  Warrants can be slid under the door.  Opening doors should be avoided until warrant is verified.

2   Warrants must be signed by a Judge

3.   Arrest warrant must say the name of the person to be arrested

4.   Search warrants must be specific as to place and documents to be searched.

5.   Form 1-205 ( Warrant of Deportation ) does not authorize entry

6.   ICE warrants are rare.

Asylum at the US border basically ended for anyone fleeing danger, even for families persecuted on the basis of their religion or political views.  Mr. Trump's moves at the Border, like his attempt to upend birthright citizenship are likely to face legal challenges.  Joe calculated from Customs and Border Patrol stats from last year that of the 3 million illegal migrants that came in- only 0.02% commit any crime at all.  We find the people we have met to be young, brave, appreciative individuals (many with children) who are trying to escape violence and corruption in their own country.  What would I do???????

    Carol, our house director is going on a Search and Rescue trip tomorrow with BATALIA to look for bodies,  A dead body is usually eaten by coyotes within five days - skeletons  remain.  Because it has been so cold here she is unsure what they may find.  Batalia saiid that as of 2024, 1600 remains were unidentified.  And because of the huge remote, desolate territory the group has noted that a substantial percentage of human remains will never be found.

    We are unsure of our time here now.