Crisis at the Border, Title 42
On Sunday, May 7, a man drove into a crowd of immigrants in Brownsville, Texas. The incident killed eight people and injured another 10. The trauma certainly affects the families of the deceased, the injured and their families, and the community in and around the Ozanam center where it took place. The anxiety the May 7 incident ignited overlaps several other concerns surfacing out of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and other locations along the US-Mexico Border.
Rev. Feliberto Pereira of Southwest Good Samaritan Ministry was called immediately to offer pastoral care to those affected by this devastating event. The incident took place outside Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center, formerly the Oscar Romero Center. Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries was among the partner ministries that helped establish Ozanam Center in the 1980s.
Pastor Pereira has also explained that potential changes in Title 42 provisions and the concomitant surge in irregular border crossing particularly among Venezuelan asylum seekers has created an incredibly volatile situation in the cities near Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries.
Rev. Pereira asks first that we pray: pray for those seeking asylum and refuge from political oppression in their country. Pray for those like Rev. Pereira and his ministry partners in the valley who offer support for those seeking help. Pray for the officers in Immigration and Customs Enforcement and others who work to maintain order in a volatile situation. Prayer for policy decision-makers and others who must make difficult decisions concerning the best way to keep people safe while maintaining our commitment to be a place of shelter for those seeking to escape oppression and violence.
Second, a practical way to help is through financial support. Once a person seeking asylum has seen an Immigration and Customs Enforcement judge and been given by a Federal official to relocate to live with family or friends living in the United States, they must then find the means to travel to that location. One of the primary ministries of Southwest Good Samaritan is assisting those persons who are legally authorized to remain in the US while they await a more permanent resolution to their asylum request. SWGSM does this in the form of bus tickets and some provisions for the journey. With the volatility in Brownsville, people are increasingly anxious to distance themselves from the chaos. You can contribute at their website. https://swgsm.org/become-a-partner/