Good afternoon,

As conversations and concerns around the border continue, particularly with the approach of the end of the Title 42 public health order on May 11, we want to share a reflection on a visit to a migrant processing center just outside of Tucson, Arizona.

Last month, our Bibles, Badges, and Business (BBB) mobilizer for Arizona, Andy Myers, and National Immigration Forum Senior Fellow, Linda Chavez, spent some time visiting border communities in the area, including Casa Alitas.

Andy Myers describes and reflects on what he observed during that visit below:

Casa Alitas is a welcoming center, mostly run by volunteers, that currently processes 550 "Asylum Hopefuls" daily. These are migrants who have surrendered to CBP officers at or near the border and have enough of a credible asylum case that they are transferred to welcome centers where they will arrange travel to friends or family in the U.S. while they wait for their asylum hearing date, which can take years. The volunteers work diligently to secure their plane or bus tickets, all paid for by the arrivees or their families. One gentleman, another Asylum Hopeful, helped the other volunteers by translating Arabic because as he said, "I am here for a few days and I can help."

Casa Alitas welcoming center outside Tucson, Arizona
(Source: Andy Myers) 

As I interacted with the volunteers and men at this welcoming center, hope and trust were the two words that came to mind.

The Asylum Hopefuls are told right from the beginning, before any paperwork is processed or any travel ticket is purchased: "You are now safe. We are here to help you."  All have risked and experienced danger to make the journey and this message brings them hope that they will begin a new life in a safe place.

I have often said and heard that trust is built over time and destroyed in a moment, but what I saw at Casa Alitas is that trust can be established quickly. I saw the arrivees Venmo staff members money to buy plane tickets from their personal phones. When I asked how the arrivees, people who have spent the better part of a year or more being extorted for passage to the U.S., can trust the staff at Casa Alitas to buy the right tickets, there was one answer: "We first let them know they are safe and there is hope, then they are able to trust this process."

We can all learn from this. In our ongoing work in immigration reform, may we continue to work for the safety of others and earn trust so that we can better support and guide them. I think both sides of the aisle can agree with me on that.

You can read more on the visit, including changing dynamics of who is arriving at the border and the need for Congress to act and create policies that "address our economic needs and our humanitarian values", in Linda Chavez’s recent reflection in The xxxxxx.

As we learn about new proposals and bills for the border and face heightened and unhelpful rhetoric, let us continue to advocate for holistic solutions that effectively address ongoing challenges and keep the border secure while honoring the dignity of migrants. To stay informed on what’s happening at the border, check out the National Immigration Forum’s border resource page that contains helpful bill summaries and additional advocacy opportunities.

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Allison

Allison Bassett
Senior Field and Constituencies Associate
National Immigration Forum 

NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:

CBN NEWS: Florida's Immigration Bill Amended to Provide Religious Liberty Protection

PBS NEWS HOUR: U.S. and Mexico officials agree on tighter immigration policies at border

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Biden sending 1,500 troops for Mexico border migrant surge

CBS NEWS: Biden administration to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status amid inaction in Congress

WASHINGTON POST: U.S. to open immigrant processing centers in Latin America