The Encuentro Project has welcomed six groups from August to December, 2022
Situation on the Border
With the end of the MPP (stay in Mexico) policy and the on again, off again end of Title 42, El Paso has seen a significant increase of migrants crossing the border. The fate of Title 42 will be determined by the Supreme Court. There are not sufficient shelters and many people have to stay at the airport, bus stations or in the streets until they can get tickets to go to their sponsors. Also, the migrants have been used as political pawns, being bused to other states with no advance warning. Now, we are seeing people who have not presented to Border Patrol and have no documents to travel.
The Diocese of El Paso and Annunciation House, as well as other non-profits and local government, have been trying to meet the needs of the migrants. Churches have recently opened their doors to migrants, including Sacred Heart parish which provides shelter in the former gym during the evenings. The Church has been in the news recently as it is where many of the migrants are gathering.
Migrants at Sacred Heart Parish
President Biden visited El Paso on January 8 but did not go downtown or see the full extent of the problem. Here is a report by Hope Border Institute:
To support the work of the Hope Border Institute, visit their website here.Fr. Rafael Meets the Pope
Fr. Rafael writes in July, 2022
I had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis in a very unexpected way. A real Grace! Meeting Pope Francis was a strong motivation for traveling to come to Rome. When I introduced myself and mentioned that I was working in the El Paso border with Mexico, he quickly said, referring to migrant/refugee situation, "how many tragedies you must have seen there" “¡Cuántas cosas no habras visto!"
Sadly -- during the 6 seconds!! -- I could not mention that the name Encuentro for our project was inspired by his emphasis on the need for human encounters. Some of you might recall that my first idea was the name “Encuentro Project Papa Francisco", but, too long, though.”