Where are the migrants? Where are the undocumented people being sent back from the US to Mexico? Why are they sent back in the middle of the night? Where have Mexican officials taken them? Are they back in their home villages? Are their families together? Are they again in jeopardy from the criminal organisations? Are they heading north again?
There are no easy answers to these questions. For one thing, there is absolutely no clarity about how the US and Mexico are dealing with returned migrants. They are being disappeared, just as surely as if they had been kidnapped and killed in the desert.
- Speak up for the lost.
- Seek justice.
- Never forget.
The absence of migrants at the US/Mexican border in Agua Prieta, Sonora has also created a new reality for allies, advocates and others who are working to support migrants. Since some volunteers are no longer helping, how much can the Migrant Resource Center (CRM – Centro de Recursos para Migrantes) stay open to continue supporting the few people who show up? Should the focus of the work change to help people adjust to living in Mexico instead? How does the Exodus Migrant Assistance Centre (CAME – Centro de Atencion al Migrante Exodus) need to adapt to an almost certain loss of funding for the next year? What do certain individual workers, who are not US citizens, need to do to safeguard their own personal safety?
- Grant courage and strength to those who continue.
- Give them perseverance, patience and dedication to continue the work.
- Guide them to support each other, as they support the migrants.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
