Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries

Nov 6

Third-country deportations happen when someone cannot be sent to their home country, so the U.S. decides to deport them to some other country. This administration has been doing this at an unprecedented level with over 25,000 people deported to third countries since Trump returned to office. A rece...Read more

Third-country deportations happen when someone cannot be sent to their home country, so the U.S. decides to deport them to some other country. This administration has been doing this at an unprecedented level with over 25,000 people deported to third countries since Trump returned to office. A recent story from 60 Minutes includes an interview with Moussa Diawara, a dad from Mali, who was living in Houston with his wife and two kids. He was detained by ICE and sent to Ghana, a country where he has no connections and has never been to. It is a gut wrenching story, especially when you hear from his two children in Houston who are separated from their dad.

Nov 5

Pope Leo recently sent greetings to the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), encouraging them in their work. We are grateful for the Holy Father's attentiveness to the continuing needs of vulnerable migrants and refugees.

Nov 3

We are excited to welcome Brian Concannon, the Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH). He lived and worked in Haiti from 1995 to 2004 and then returned to the U.S. to found IJDH. He provides a helpful historical framework for Haiti, which is particularly releva...Read more

We are excited to welcome Brian Concannon, the Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH). He lived and worked in Haiti from 1995 to 2004 and then returned to the U.S. to found IJDH. He provides a helpful historical framework for Haiti, which is particularly relevant given the Supreme Court ruling at the end of June that allowed the administration to end Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitians living in the U.S. That ruling is having a devastating impact on the Haitian community. Brian shares the story of Pierre Damas Bel’s tragic death. You don’t want to miss it. Brian and Juan share stories that reflect the call of the Gospel for us to imitate the Good Samaritan. Juan shares the story of Enriquez, a young man from Reynosa who lived in the deep south of the U.S. for most of his life until he was detained and deported. Juan was most struck by the questions that guide how Enriquez responds to the difficulties of his life. Brian talks about a recent reunion with Genese and Jean Philippe and their two-year-old daughter. Brian met the Haitian couple in 2024 when Genese was pregnant and they were in a shelter in Mexico. After Genese legally entered the U.S., she needed help and support. Brian found just the group to respond like true Good Samaritans.

Oct 30

During a town hall in the suburbs of Detroit, Sr. Nancy Sylvester, IHM, challenged Vice President JD Vance about ICE enforcement and its impact on families, citing in particular children who are being separated from their detained and deported parents. Sr. Nancy is a dynamic advocate for marginaliz...Read more

During a town hall in the suburbs of Detroit, Sr. Nancy Sylvester, IHM, challenged Vice President JD Vance about ICE enforcement and its impact on families, citing in particular children who are being separated from their detained and deported parents. Sr. Nancy is a dynamic advocate for marginalized communities and has visited her fellow IHM sisters here on the border and joined us in shelters. She asked, "How would you justify to people of faith, especially those of us who try to follow the Gospel, how the behavior of the ICE men and women can constantly be justified in terms of the kind of values we want to live by?” Vice President Vance admitted to some mistakes from officers in their enforcement: "sometimes you have some people who really screw up." But he largely defended the administration's approach. "Despite what some people say in the press, I promise you that we wake up every day and we try to balance law enforcement with humane law enforcement...I think the men and women of ICE, by and large, have done a good job." We would question how any policy of indiscriminate mass deportation can be conducted humanely. This campaign is tearing families apart and provoking tremendous fear and suffering in vulnerable populations. We need a more humane immigration system before we can ever approach humane enforcement.

Oct 27

We are delighted to welcome Lulú Gonzalez from Casa Clínica Lulú in Reynosa, Mexico, which she founded in 2017. Casa Clínica is a migrant shelter, soup kitchen, and medical clinic. She shares some of the extreme cases she has faced over the years, like a Haitian man with his stomach split open and a...Read more

We are delighted to welcome Lulú Gonzalez from Casa Clínica Lulú in Reynosa, Mexico, which she founded in 2017. Casa Clínica is a migrant shelter, soup kitchen, and medical clinic. She shares some of the extreme cases she has faced over the years, like a Haitian man with his stomach split open and a stroke victim deported to Mexico, only to discover he was a U.S. citizen. Regardless of the case, Lulú always puts the care of the person first. Juan and Brian share stories about how our ministry tries to communicate to people this fundamental message: your life matters. Brian talks about Daniel, who has been stuck on the border for years, and now finds himself as one of just three migrants in a shelter that used to hold hundreds. What do visits look like now? Juan talks about how the tamest version of “pass the soccer ball” helped endear him to a sweet little girl in Reynosa. The next time Juan saw her, her tender act instantly melted his heart.