Each day, individuals and families seeking asylum flee their home countries to escape violence, religious persecution, and war. In an effort to respond faithfully to the needs of our siblings-in-Christ, the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas established Immigration Ministries in 2019, to distribute factual information about the ongoing humanitarian needs at its southern border and to equip congregants with resources to welcome and embrace migrants in our communities.
Immigration & Refugee Ministries strives to share the realities of the migrant experience, to provide education around immigration laws and policies, to support partner organizations serving migrants in our communities, and to help individuals and Episcopal congregations walk in love as we endeavor to follow Christ and serve our neighbors.
The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and Mexico share approximately 500 border miles along the Rio Grande. Individuals and Episcopal congregations are responding to the needs of people seeking asylum along the border, as well as individuals in local law enforcement, in a variety of outreach and pastoral care ministries. The following are primary initiatives in which our churches actively participate.
Episcopal Migration Ministries, the refugee resettlement and migration ministry of The Episcopal Church, is currently working in partnership with the U.S. government to assist our Afghan allies with resettlement and direct services through a network of twelve affiliates across the U.S.
Click here to learn how to help Episcopal Migration Ministries support our Afghan Allies.
In collaboration with neighboring border dioceses, West Texas congregations are invited to submit prayer squares, sharing messages of hope and love with migrants in our community as part of the Episcopal Prayer Square Initiative. Each completed prayer square will be part of a travel kit, including shelf-stable food and PPE, distributed to migrants throughout their travels in the Diocese of West Texas.
Click here for more information about joining the Episcopal Prayer Square Initiative.
When a family or individual seeking asylum is released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody as part of the immigration process, they travel to join sponsors or family members throughout the United States. If a family or individual does not have family or sponsorship contacts in the U.S. however, they do not have access to housing or basic necessities, leaving them incredibly vulnerable upon their release.
The Plaza de Paz Respite Center first opened on July 27, 2021 in response to the increase in migrant arrivals in San Antonio. Plaza de Paz provides day-time welcoming services for families and individuals seeking asylum. Services provided include meals, assistance with travel arrangements, personal hygiene care, emergency housing, and transportation within Bexar County to the airport or bus station.
Volunteers should email Melanie Jakubisin, Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteerplaza@dwtx.org to register or learn how your group can volunteer at Plaza de Paz.
As people seeking asylum travel to San Antonio on their way to their sponsors across the U.S., they have shared a sincere need for food. For many, traveling to sponsors or loved ones means taking a two- or three-day bus ride several states away with no access to food or money to purchase food on the road. In an effort to support our neighbors, Immigration Ministries needs your help to provide shelf-stable, individually wrapped meal kits. All kits will be distributed at the Plaza de Paz Respite Center.
Volunteers are needed to drive families and individuals seeking asylum to the airport and the bus station from Monday to Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.. If you are interested in signing up or learning more, please click the link below.
Team Brownsville volunteers help families and individuals legally seeking asylum in the United States. The team adapts to the conditions on the ground and has offered a variety of programs in the last three years to assist asylum seekers. Team Brownsville is focused on a dual mission: to continue supporting the asylum seeker community in the cities of Matamoros and Reynosa, Mexico and to welcome and support families released by US authorities into the United States at the Brownsville Bus Station. Team Brownsville assists with food, water, shelter, and basic necessities and supports a variety of legal, medical, and other services for this vulnerable population.
To support Team Brownsville, visit the links below or donate using their Amazon Wishlist.
Bus Station Volunteers (Brownsville): Volunteers who live in the Rio Grande Valley region, or are interested in traveling to serve on the border, are needed to welcome asylum-seeking families and individuals at the Brownsville Bus Station.
Baby Kits & Child Items (Brownsville): Asylum-seeking families often include babies and young children. Immigration Ministries has partnered with Team Brownsville and the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition (VVBHC) in Del Rio to provide Baby Kits and child items to these families as they travel throughout the diocese. All supplies will be distributed by Team Brownsville and VVBHC volunteers.
Financial donations to Team Brownsville may be made through their website, at teambrownsville.org/donate.
The Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition is a group of local citizens and agencies that haveunited to develop an efficient way to transition refugees to their destinationsupon release of federal custody through a unified and coordinated effort.
Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition Respite Center (Del Rio): Volunteers who live in the Del Rio area or are interested in traveling to serve on the border are needed to welcome asylum-seeking families and individuals at the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition (VVBHC) respite center.
Baby Kits & Child Items (Del Rio): Asylum-seeking families often include babies and young children. Immigration Ministries has partnered with Team Brownsville and the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition (VVBHC) in Del Rio to provide Baby Kits and child items to these families as they travel throughout the diocese. All supplies will be distributed by Team Brownsville and VVBHC volunteers.
The Mission: Border Hope Resource Center is a non-profit organization that provides a safe haven for arriving CBP processed families in Maverick County. When they arrive we give them all an orientation, so they know where they are located, what to do next, and of course, explain that they have arrived in the United States. We offer phone calls, wifi, and translators so they can call their families after being detained for hours, days or even months and provide options for them to travel safely to their final destination.
Bus Station Volunteers (Eagle Pass): Volunteers who live in the Eagle Pass area or are interested in traveling to serve on the border are needed to welcome asylum-seeking families and individuals at Mission Border Hope.
The Holding Institute Community Center works in the surrounding community to strengthen opportunities: with physical, behavioral, spiritual, social, cultural, and educational initiatives.
Holding is a non-profit community center located in downtown Laredo, Texas. In relationship with the United Methodist Women and other community partners, Holding is responding to the needs of women, children, youth, and families: to encourage health & wellness, to empower education, to improve community, and to invite discipleship.
Click here to learn more
Catholic Charities-Diocese of Laredo (CCDOL) is a non-profit organization under the auspices of the Diocese of Laredo. As a multi-program human services agency, CCDOL is a community-based organization that has been serving the people of the Diocese of Laredo, located on the Mexican-American border, serving the areas Dimmit, Jim Hogg, La Salle, Maverick, Webb, Zapata, and Zavala counties since the 1970's.
Click here to learn more
Catholic Charities Respite Center Volunteers (McAllen): Volunteer with Catholic Charities Respite Center in McAllen. Individuals who live in the Rio Grande Valley region or are interested in serving along the border are needed to welcome asylum-seeking families and individuals in McAllen.
Educational resources reviewed and created by the Immigration & Refugee Ministries director will be published here in Fall 2023.
Director of Immigration and Refugee Ministries: Flor Saldivar
Click here to book a meeting appointment with Immigration and Refugee Ministries
Click here to subscribe to the bi-weekly Immigration Ministries Update, featuring events, volunteer and giving opportunities, news, and prayer requests.
Click here to follow the Immigration Ministries Facebook page.
Click here to view Immigration Ministries blog articles and events.
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