Over the past five years, thousands of Central American migrants have left their homes in a desperate search for refuge in the United States. Extreme poverty and violence have forced children and families to walk and brave the journey to the Mexico/US border. In the United States, they have been met with a Trump administration committed to demonizing them and denying them safe harbor. Over the course of the last two years, the White House has not only weaponized U.S. immigration policy but placed migrants at great risk.
The administration has even gone so far as to use the migrant caravans as a reason for the border wall, to change asylum laws and increase the capacity of immigration detention centers. The attacks against this vulnerable population has left families stranded at the U.S.-Mexico border and across shelters in Mexico, without the most basic resources.
As part of its broader initiative to support immigrant families, Hispanic Federation has undertaken the goal of supporting migrant shelters throughout Mexico and Central America and providing families in need with necessary resources for their immediate well-being. Hispanic Federation has partnered with Alianza Americas, a network of Latin American and Caribbean immigrant organizations across the U.S. that seeks to protect the dignity and well-being of all people across the Americas; and Fundación Azteca, a Mexican nonprofit organization that promotes and implements programs in support of vulnerable communities.
“The administration has turned these migrants – many of them children and mothers – into villains,” said Hispanic Federation President José Calderón. “They are actually victims of violence and corruption at home and victims of a xenophobic White House here in the United States. We knew that we needed to do something to alleviate the suffering of these families and we found a way to do it through Alianza America and Fundación Azteca.”
In January, Hispanic Federation Board Member Carlos Santiago joined Calderón to travel to Mexico to bring toys and jackets to migrant children staying at the Madre Asunta Shelter in Tijuana. These efforts, on Three Kings Day, served 75 families, most of whom were from Central America. In addition, Santiago and Calderón distributed 1,000 jackets across three different shelters, two located in Tijuana and one in Saltillo, Mexico.
Hispanic Federation has identified over 80 Migrant shelters, food pantries and organizations that provide support to immigrants passing through Central American countries on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border. “Our goal is to identify the organizations serving these migrants,” Calderón said. “We are working urgently to build and strengthen relationships with these shelters so we can actively provide support to meet the needs of the migrant population.”
For more information on our Migrant Shelters Initiative, please contact Alejandra Sorto at asorto@hispanicfederation.org.
