- October 15, 2021 Social Justice
The Archdiocese of St. Louis sponsored an Encuentro immersion program to El Paso on September 21-25. I was grateful to be part of this experience with eight others under the leadership of Marie Kenyon from the Archdiocese's Peace and Justice Commission. The nine of us traveled together, lived together, learned, prayed, cried and laughed together, too.
What is Encuentro? The Encuentro Project offers participants a faith-based immersion program in El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border region to experience an understanding of the complex migration reality and this community.
Our days and evenings were filled with stories by those who live on the border and those trying to migrate. Living on the border is difficult these days as traffic between the two cities has come to a stop due to Title 42.* This has affected the local economy. Many people used to travel daily across the border for work, school and shopping. Now that is not possible. Men and women in Juarez are really struggling to make a living. Many work in the factories and are paid less than $65 a week. And thousands in El Paso lost good paying jobs when the factories moved to Mexico for the cheap labor.
Our first stop was to Corpus Christi Parish in Anapra, on the outskirts of Juarez. Fr. Bill Norton gave us an overview of the challenges of the poverty, the education system and government corruption in the area. The parish sponsors a shelter for migrants, and there is a wonderful library built by St. James parishioners in Kansas City who also provide scholarships for over 50 families. The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati opened a clinic and school for handicap children. All are supported by grants and donations.
Before we left Juarez, we visited Sister Betty Campbell, a Mercy sister who has served in Juarez for more than 25 years. We ended our day thinking we were walking with living saints.
In addition to on site visits, we had excellent presentations from Hope Border Institute, DMARS (Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services), Border Patrol (yes, we heard their side, too), Women’s Cooperative, and JRS (Jesuit Refugee Services). Maria Torres from JRS works in the shelters in Juarez and talked about Health Consequences due to Migrant Protection Protocols and Title 42. Every evening we gathered for sharing and processing what we saw and heard that day.
On our final day, Fr. Rafael, SJ welcomed us to Sacred Heart Parish which is in the heart of the old town of El Paso. We heard from historian David Romo about the inhumane treatment of Mexicans crossing the border during the beginning of the 20th century who had to strip naked for lice inspection and were forced to take Kerosene and vinegar baths for delousing. From 1942-64, the workers were sprayed with DDT to protect the United States from disease.
We also did a walking tour of the area. David gave us background on the historical “Mexican Quarters” and how the local inhabitants are trying to preserve it from being torn down for a new stadium. Fr. Rafael, SJ gave us a presentation on Catholic social teachings focusing on immigration. He ended with a reference from Pope Francis' January 2018: talk, “Towards the Global Compact on Migrants and Refugees." Regarding migrants and refugee persons we can summarize in four points: welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating.
*Title 42 was a rarely-used clause of the 1944 Public Health Services Law until the Trump Administration began using it 2020 to prevent migrants from entering the United States, arguing that allowing these migrants to enter the United States may increase the spread of COVID-19.