We're all in this Together

Yesterday, I returned home from a few days on our Southern Border in McAllen, TX and I wanted to share with you some thoughts on my experience.

The situation is heartbreaking. While we have all seen pictures and videos of asylum seekers wrapped in mylar blankets and locked in over-crowded cages, the crisis immediately becomes real when you’re able to “smell” it. Upon entering the Humanitarian Respite Center, one is greeted with a noxious stench that’s a combination of foot odor, thousands of miles of travel, Rio Grande River water, body odor, vomit, blood, tears, and god knows what else. It’s a smell that’s now imprinted on my soul and will haunt me for as long as I live. More importantly, it’s going to motivate me to never let this type of crisis feel “normal” and to become a strong advocate for Humanitarian rights.

Over the course of my few days at the Southern Border, while I’m struggling with the overwhelming sadness of the crisis, I have so many stories of generosity that bring a smile to my face.

-One evening at around 5PM, a large man...in a large truck...pulled up to the donation drop off area at the Humanitarian Respite Center. Over the course of the day, he had gone around his local town and solicited donations from his neighbors, friends, and community members. His truck was packed with clothing and he was proud about how much his community cared about trying to make a positive impact.

-We were tasked with installing six large digital clocks around the Humanitarian Respite Center. Myself and two of my team-mates (Aaron and Andrew), tackled this initiative with an enthusiasm unknown to human-kind! Feel free to start your “how many people does it take to hang a clock jokes now...” Anyhow, while hanging the clocks, we were using a 16 ft retractable ladder to reach the right spots on the walls. In one location, the ladder was precariously placed, and as Aaron climbed the ladder, one of the asylum seekers who was sitting nearby on the floor with his family, immediately jumped up and joined us in supporting the ladder while Aaron attached the clock to the wall. We chatted a bit; laughed at the silliness of double-sided tape not sticking to the wall; gave Aaron a bad time as he climbed the ladder; and shook hands when we competed our task. The moment struck me right between the eyes and emphasized how we’re all in this together.

-On Saturday, our group of around 15 volunteers was responsible for preparing, serving, and cleaning up dinner for the respite center. Over the course of the day, we made trips to Walmart for beverages, arranged for pizza to be delivered, purchased paper plates/napkins, chopped carrots, and more. As dinner commenced at 6:15PM, we were prepared and ready to serve dinner for approximately 500 asylum seekers. Over the course of the first two hours, we got into a routine as people orderly entered the dining area, picked up a plate, received a couple pieces of pizzas, some carrots, an orange, and a Gatorade. And then, at 8PM, we learned that ICE was dropping off another 150+ asylum seekers. “Uh oh,” we all immediately thought. We definitely didn’t have enough food, so we quickly gathered in the kitchen and, a tsunami of action occurred. On one stove burner, we fired up a gigantic pot of black beans, corn, and green chiles, and on the other burner, a massive pot of macaroni and cheese. In another area of the kitchen, there was group of volunteers making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches faster than tires are changed during a pit stop at the Indianapolis 500. After we completed our 30 mins of rapid preparation, we took the food out to the dining area and served the remaining 150 people. At 10PM, after everyone was fed, the dining area looked less than clean....At first, our volunteer group started to clean the tables and sweep the floors...and then, the room transformed as we were joined at first with a few asylum seekers....and then about a dozen. I have never....ever....seen a room broken down and cleaned faster. At the end, even though we couldn’t 100% understand one another, the international language of a high-five was all that needed to be said.

I could literally continue with many more stories. While there are so many complexities around why we are in this situation, I want to emphasize that we can all make an tremendous impact on this crisis by doing a few simple things.

1). Donate: Support organizations like the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, TX. Specifically, send shoes...pants (28-32 for men and 4-10 for women)...or if you want to keep it simple, send a few dollars.

2). Advocate: While immigration policy is an extremely complex and layered topic, I encourage you to contact your Congressperson and encourage them to support legislation that creates Humanitarian standards for how we treat asylum seekers. This is something that we should all be able to agree upon.

3) Act Locally: You don’t have to travel to the Southern Border to have a tremendous impact. In each of our cities, we have asylum seekers arriving every day. Identify local organizations were you can assist and just bring your positive spirit and a welcoming smile.

Thanks for letting me share my experience. We’re all in this together.