Columban missionaries have been accompanying communities along the US/MX border for over 25 years. Every day we see how border communities are models of hospitality and creative cross-cultural encounter. We’re friends with the families that call this place home, who cherish their binational heritage.
We also see how inhumane immigration enforcement and extreme militarization sow fear and distrust in our communities. And for those that do not live here, conflicting media reports and demonizing rhetoric may be their only source of information about this beautiful place.
We invite you to come and see the reality beyond the rhetoric. The resources and articles on this webpage will help you to gain a greater understanding of what is really going on at the border and how you can best advocate for border communities.
At the border, every day is an opportunity to put into practice St. Columban's famous teaching: “let a life unlike your own be your teacher.”
The Columban Mission Center in El Paso hosts “border awareness experiences” all year long.
Host a Border Justice Workshop
See the reality beyond the rhetoric. Host a border justice workshop for your faith community or group.
Tell Congress: Pass Compassionate Border Funding
Write to your Members of Congress urging them to provide meaningful humanitarian funding for the US/MX border.
We call on the administration and Congress to enact a humane, efficient, consistent, and just system that will uphold the dignity of all. We urge policymakers to follow the example of people of faith and faith-based organizations that have consistently welcomed and supported those arriving at the border by putting into place the below recommendations.
Migrants arriving at the US/MX border are often fleeing crippling poverty, environmental destruction, extreme violence, political instability, and other serious threats to life. This resource is an overview of the various push and pull factors, or root causes, that force people to migrate.
“Our nation has had a long and proud history of providing humane treatment to and due process for asylum seekers. I urge us to reject policies and proposals that would abandon this tradition, and I ask our government to remember that those fleeing to our border are not the “other” but fellow children of God.”
Communion is distributed between the gaps in the border wall at the All Soul’s Day Mass in El Paso, TX/Ciudad Juarez, MX
Migration is one of the major social phenomena of our time, a “sign of our times,” and the Gospel invites us to welcome the migrant as we would welcome Christ. We believe that we are called to both serve the needs of migrants everywhere, and to address the root causes of migration so that people and their families have the choice to remain at home.
photo: Vicki (far left) and her border delegation visit the "Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd)" tutoring and scholarship program
With so much heated rhetoric and misinformation out there, it’s hard to have a clear picture about what’s really happening in the US/Mexico border region. That’s why we think it’s crucial to listen to the people who know best: border residents. One way to do that is to visit the border region in person.
Copyright © 2020 Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Washington, D.C.