Tuesday October 17th: Notes and Photos from from Sue-Ann Leigh

On Tuesday, we reached Catholic Charities in San Antonio, a respite center rather than a shelter, where they process up to 500 individuals per day released by CBP. People typically stay for 24-48 hours, during which they receive preparation and guidance for their onward journey, with the ultimate goal of restoring their inherent human dignity. Established in 2018, this facility has assisted over 400,000 individuals in reaching their final destinations.

Walking into this organized chaos, the sight of families with small children overwhelmed me. What caught my eye were the missing shoelaces, a detail even more disconcerting when realizing that shoelaces had been removed from toddlers and young children.

We observed the arrival process from the detention center to the screening facility, where individuals arrived without any belongings. Subsequently, they entered the respite center, where they received essential necessities. They could visit a thrift shop for clothing, get assistance in arranging transportation to their sponsors, and utilize a phone charging station. For those with babies and toddlers, diapers, wipes, and formula were readily available. The center provided three meals a day, and those embarking on the next leg of their journey received bags containing sandwiches, snacks, and, if needed, diapers and wipes.

The way Catholic Charities welcomes people with dignity and respect, through both monetary donations and volunteer efforts, serves as a model that I wish our government would emulate.

While there, I witnessed two little girls, around 5 or 6 years old, who independently approached the altar and knelt to pray. I could only hope their prayers would be answered.

During my visit, a woman I had met in Matamoros recognized me. She recalled that we had given her son a "bear with me doll" from CALM: Creating A Loving Memory. Compassion To Action during their stay in the camp as they awaited their appointment to enter the US. She informed us that when they crossed the border, the doll had been confiscated and discarded, along with all their belongings. My anger surged as I remembered that the group of women I was with reentered the US with wagons full of these dolls, without any inspection. The unnecessary cruelty inflicted on a three-year-old by government officials is beyond comprehension.

As I looked around, I saw rooms filled with children playing and mothers nursing their babies, a palpable sense of safety within these walls. In the kitchen, I was joined by two little boys, aged 8 and 9, who, inspired by the examples set for them, wanted to help others. Working alongside them, I couldn't help but think of my own grandsons. I hoped that one day soon, my new friends would experience the same sense of safety and security.

We met a mother holding her 23-day-old baby alongside her 3-year-old. It was heart-wrenching to realize that she had undertaken this unimaginable and treacherous journey while pregnant, giving birth along the way. As we conversed with her, we learned that her 12-year-old niece, who had traveled with her, was separated from her at the border. Government officials had taken her as an unaccompanied minor, leaving the woman with no contact information or means to reconnect. For her niece to complete this harrowing journey alongside her aunt, only to be torn away from her only family and placed in a government facility, was an unimaginable and an entirely unnecessary cruelty inflicted by our government. Her despair and our inability to help will forever weigh on our souls.

The day ended on a positive note. We went to the bus station to replace Louis' doll, providing him with something to hold during his journey. It turned out that although the family were taking a bus to San Antonio, their final destination was Indianapolis, and they had only $50 and a bag of food from Catholic Charities. Thank goodness for Vielka’s  ability to communicate with them. Determined to help, we worked on securing train tickets from San Antonio to St. Louis, MO, to get them closer to their destination, with Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden generously covering the cost of the train tickets. At midnight, we arranged an Uber to take them from the bus station to the train station. I will follow up with a post on their story and the many compassionate individuals who touched their lives on their journey.

Amnesty Mid-Hudson Fundraiser: Live Music, Film, Panel, Silent Auction

Tuesday May 9th, 2023, at the Rosendale Theate, the Amnesty Mid-Hudson Fundraiser took place with Live African Music by Amadou Diallo & Family, the Film "From Beacon to the Border", Silent Auction, and Panel Discussion led by Ilgu Ozler. The Panel included Speakers from Grannies Respond, For the Many, Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, Worker Justice Center, and Amnesty International Mid-Hudson. Panelists included Valerie Carlisle, Diana Lopez, Father Frank Alagna, and Renan Salgado. Andrea Degeorge Garbarini was there to screen her film, From Beacon to the Border, which documents the Grannies origin story. Thanks to Diana Zuckerman for organizing this gem of an event! Several OGs (Original Grannies) were in attendance: Andrea Degeorge Garbarini, Claire M Nelson, Barry Nelson, Antonio Mochilero, Valerie Carlisle, and Catherine Cole.