The Encuentro Project has welcomed 9 groups from January to May, 2023.
A New Home for the Encuentro Project
This Spring, with the permission of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, we began using the apartments they were renting from the Diocese located next to Cathedral High School for Encuentro groups. The space has 8 bedrooms, but we have been only using 6 of them, as one of the brothers has been living there. The Brothers are not renewing their lease as of July 2023 so Fr. Rafael asked the Diocese if we could take the lease and we are waiting for the decision.
Update on the Border
Title 42 ended on May 11, 2023. Before and after it ended many migrants who were in Mexico crossed into the U.S. through other means than the port of entry since Title 42 had denied migrants the right to request asylum. Sacred Heart Church became the epicenter of where the migrants came in El Paso, with up to a thousand people staying in the shelter and surrounding the Church outdoors. Most of these migrants were from Venezuela and had no one to sponsor them in the United States, even if they had the proper paperwork. A few days before Title 42 ended, Border Patrol officers handed out flyers encouraging the migrants to turn themselves in or face being deported. By the next day, there was practically no one at Sacred Heart or in the vicinity.
US marines put barbed wire atop fencing along the United States-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California, on November 9, 2018. (SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
Currently, there is a bi-partisan immigration law proposed in Congress that may help update immigration processes and treat migrants more humanely. Please find out more about the “Dignity Act” and ecourage your Congressional representative to support it.
Unfortunately, migrants are still treated as political pawns by Governors Abbott (TX) and DeSantis (FL) in rhetoric and bussing them to cities that are more Democratic party leaning.
The following article talks about how much money is being spent for border security and who really benefits from the migrant crossings.
Read the full article in our Newsletter.