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Join us Friday, July 23rd at 2PMfor El Chaparral: What's Happening on the Ground?
A panel on the current status of El Chaparral migrant encampment in Tijuana, and the ongoing humanitarian efforts of the Chaparral Humanitarian Alliance.
Currently, thousands of asylum seekers wait for outside PedWest & at the San Ysidro-Tijuana port-of-entry known as the Chaparral. They created their encampment which they named “Campamento de la Esperanza” or “Camp of Hope”. They plan on remaining there until the administration allows them the opportunity to present their asylum case and to reunify with their family in the US.
With: Judith De la Rocha of Borderline Crisis Center
Luis of Psicologos sin Fronteras BC
Robert Vivar of United US Deported Veterans
Ian Seruelo of APALA SD
and Gina Garibo of AFSC LAC
This panel will be live-streamed on our Facebook, our website, or through our link in bio on Instagram! We will be taking your questions.
You won't want to miss out on this!!
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With temperatures peaking at 117 degrees Saturday (7/10), our group started bright and early, to beat the heat. Or, so we thought. The day started with some cloud cover, which took a few degrees off the heat, which in turn added in a tremendous amount of humidity. Our group continuously drank liquids and electrolytes to replenish what we were sweating out by the minute.
First splitting the group in two, and then in three smaller sub-groups allowed those feeling better in the heat to help spread supplies into more areas of this section of the desert, while those feeling the heat could take some time to rest, before the long and hot hike out to the vehicles as one group. We were able to leave a substantial amount of supplies at five drop sites. Thank you to every member that came out Saturday, and a special thank you to Route Leader Mike and Safety Monitor Rich for precise route leadership as well as administering emergency supplies for everyone to finish the hike strong as a group.
This area is crucial this time of year, as the border fence construction of 2020 has created a more defined funnel for migrants to travel in this long stretch instead of the shorter distances before that new border fence. In the last month, we have been to this specific area weekly, to drop supplies, along with emergency searches for those suspected to be still living and those we found out were recently deceased.
Click here to donate🖤💧
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Summer in the desert is already proving to be dangerous and deadly, as our Water Drop team has been involved with numerous searches for emergency rescues and unfortunately recoveries. With daily temperatures constantly over 110° and spikes of up to 120° in the region, we are working to cover as many migrant routes as possible and leave as many supplies as we can.
One of our Water Drop routes was a combined Search and Recovery in partnership with @aguilas.busquedayrescate, while the other two Water Drop routes we had resupplied the areas where the most rescues in the region were performed during last summer. The terrain is rocky and involved a lot of scrambling and boulder hopping (while carrying 25-35lbs of supplies in backpacks).
The fresh footprints in the sand, partnered with the remains of food packaging discarded and used bottles and cans from recent, previous drops let our team know that these areas are under constant use, and show that we need to keep stocking these areas as much as we can, especially during this extreme heat season.
For any questions regarding our Water Drop program, please email [email protected]. Until further notice, we are still not taking any new volunteers.
Click here to donate🖤💧
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Yafeu was among the first of our Familias Reunidas Immigration Bond Fund recipients, he is an asylum- seeker from Ghana who spent nearly 5 months inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center.
Yafeu is openly gay and was the victim of a vicious hate crime in his home country, an attack in which his life partner was killed, and in which he was injured to the point of needing a walker. He did not receive the urgent and needed surgery while in detention, but thanks to Survivors of Torture International he got his surgery almost immediately upon arriving in his new city after he was freed.
One year after being Yafeu is thriving, looking healthier than ever, and proudly holding his employment authorization document. He has spent the last year studying, and he is starting CNA training soon! We are so grateful to have helped him along his journey, and to all of you for giving Yafeu the opportunity of a new life.
To help more people like him, you can donate to out bond program here: https://gofund.me/94d211fd
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We are so excited to announce we have bonded out the 89th recipient of our Familias Reunidas Immigration Bond Fund! Afonso is a 30-year-old asylum seeker from Brazil who spent over three months inside Otay Mesa Detention Center.
He is now off to Massachusetts to start his new life and reunite with his family! This year, we want to free 100 people from immigration detention and we are so close, but we need YOUR help. When you donate to our Familias Reunidas Immigration Bond Fund you are helping a mother hug her son, a husband hug his spouse, friends be together again, and people just like Afonso!
Click here to donate
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The support at El Chaparral does not stop! Thanks to our supported shelters’ efforts, we aree able to continue feeding families on the ground. The fate of the encampment and all those who remain and continue arriving remain uncertain, but one thing is for sure: As long as we can we will feed, help and support our migrant siblings in any way we can!
To continue helping us distribute love and meals in el chaparral head click the button on this post to donate.
To donate to our Shelter Aid Program click here.
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In partnership with American Friends Service Committee, Psicologos Sin Fronteras, and Military Families Speak Out, we were able to distribute hundreds of hygiene kits at El Chaparral encampment.
We continue to share stories from the encampment, and the desperate need, as the situation on the ground has not changed. Support of every kind is still needed from bathrooms to daily meals.
Click the video above to watch!
To support El Chaparral you can donate here and help us create more moments like this one!
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"Everything is done by design by the U.S. government as far as where they strategically place fences and push people to. That was a national policy called Prevention Through Deterrence.” - James Cordero
Huge shout out to our very own James Cordero, Co-Director of the Water Drop Program, as he joined El Tecolote's podcast Radio Teco to talk about the reality migrants deal with as they cross the border and the humanitarian aid Border Angels offers them.
If you want to have a listen, CLICK HERE!
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Special Report: ‘Here We Are’
Port of Entry / July 7, 2021
Border Angels Executive Director gave some insight on what she witnessed while helping at the encampment El Chaparral and how the work still needs to be done.
She spent three weeks working as part of the Chaparral Alliance in the encampment, finding the people who can get to safety now.
"So, it all happened really quickly. We went from having absolutely no way to cross someone lawfully into the US, to having this mechanism to allow them to enter, even if it’s just a few people a day. That brought hope. That’s what the people in the encampment needed. Hope and information.
So yeah...this little loophole, it is helping people who need it.
It’s finally providing some relief for migrants who’ve been dealing with months and months of misery."- Dulce Garcia.
Listen to the podcast!
Dulce Garcia speaks at minute 19:42
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105 Groups Demand Biden End Trump’s Anti-Asylum Policies Ahead of Former President’s Visit to Border:
Biden’s continued use of Title 42 has driven family separations, groups say
"Ahead of Former President Trump and Governor Abbot’s visit to the border today, 105 legal services, human rights and immigrants rights organizations delivered a letter to the White House expressing alarm and disappointment that the Biden administration is reportedly considering to continue to use the unlawful Trump-era Title 42 asylum expulsion policy, described as a “Stephen Miller special,” to block and expel adult asylum seekers.
The organizations–many of which are members of the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign– wrote to express their concern that the Biden administration would continue to use Title 42 policy to block single adults, which would disproportionately harm Black, LGBTQI+, and other people seeking asylum.
The letter continues: “Rational, science-based measures, recommended by public health experts exist to mitigate COVID-19 concerns and safely process asylum seekers at the border… [Title 42] has been widely discredited by epidemiologists and public health experts who have confirmed it has ‘no scientific basis as a public health measure.’”
To read the full letter click here
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It has been more than 30 years since DACA recipient and lawyer Dulce Garcia stepped foot in mexico a moment she thought was impossible until recently, through applying for Advanced Parole she's helping asylum seekers from both sides of the border.
“We accomplished so much aside from providing people tents and and food, basic needs to keep away from from cold at night, clean water for heat during the day. Aside from humanitarian aid, I think what was provided that was most valuable for them was the legal consultations. We spent mother's day providing legal consultations and hope that they can be reunited with their children. Some have had to face the difficult choice of sending their teenage sons across the border because there are afraid he wasn't going to survive or would be killed by gangs, and many moms who were separated from their children and some where afraid for the children that they had with them. So I think the most valuable thing that we did was produce hope through the consultations. that was the most valuable.”
Click the video above to watch or here!
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Putting Action to Words
Interfaith Coalition Provides Aid for Migrants at the Mexico Border and Aid for Dreamers in Santa Barbara
By Landon Ranck
"After hearing about the desperate situation of families in the migrant camps just across the San Diego/Tijuana border, the Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance of Santa Barbara could not ignore the call for help. Working with local faith communities, the Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance collected thousands of dollars’ worth of donations of nonperishable food, water, and hygiene supplies. On May 25, volunteers from the ISA and Drivers Listos filled up four vehicles with the donated supplies. They left early in the morning to drive down and deliver the supplies to the El Chapparal Camp in Tijuana, in partnership with the San Diego-based nonprofit Border Angels (www.borderangels.org)."
Finish reading, here!
For more information on donation deliveries to El Chaparral email coordinator Marian Ruiz at [email protected].
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A quick reminder that there are many ways to support us and get involved with Border Angels!
DM, FB message, or email us any of your questions at [email protected]
We appreciate you!!
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Our Border Angels Logo T-shirts and Face Coverings are now available. Head to our Online Shop here: https://www.borderangels.org/shop.html
to get yours now before we’re out!
You can still stock up on Tu Vida Vales shirts, Black Lives Matter shirts, water bottles, hats, and other merchandise.
Be on the lookout for new merch very soon!
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