Humanitarian Aid

By Rev. Brian R. Louis

Late last year I received a brief glimpse at what is going on at our nation’s border with Mexico. Before people jump on me with their calls to the government to close the border, or open them wide open, or whatever, that’s not what this is about. This post is about humanitarian aid. It’s about welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, sheltering those without a place to stay. It’s about what Jesus called his followers to do.

I volunteered in Douglas, Ariz., at a shelter where migrants are dropped off by the Border Patrol after they make their claim for asylum. The shelter is staffed by volunteers. I volunteered for a midday shift. When I arrived there were about 20 men there at the shelter from Guatemala, who had been dropped off earlier in the day by the Border Patrol. They were in an orientation session of sorts which was being given by a volunteer, who was telling them where they were, where they were going to go after this stop, and a few tips of dos and don’ts of how to navigate migrant life in the United States as someone seeking asylum. That information is critical because many of them will not have an asylum hearing before a judge for years. I heard of one case being scheduled for 2031.

The men were mostly in their twenties and thirties, and they made the journey in decent shape, although there was plenty of coughing in the shelter where they were staying. Many only were wearing short-sleeve shirts on a cold day in winter in Arizona where the temperatures range from the mid-60s in the day to the high 30s at night and in the early morning. They weren’t dressed for the weather. One man had a Pittsburgh Steelers hoodie and he quickly put it on when his group arrived after they were dropped off in the mid-afternoon.

They were hungry. They were thirsty. They were well-behaved and polite. They lined up and were orderly as they came up to the counter where they picked up their grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, burritos, and enchiladas. All the food was donated and made by volunteers. They drank coffee out of Styrofoam cups. They made phone calls and charged their cell phones. Sadly, I don’t know Spanish, so my ability to communicate with them was nil.

When the men would use the port-a-poddies outside the shelter, I would stand guard outside, to make sure no one came by and harassed them. The port-a-poddies also had hand-washing stations, which I showed the men how to use, since presumably they hadn’t seen these devices before.

These guys were the 2023 version of what the Irish and Italians were in the 1800s coming through Ellis Island in New York looking for a better life. America is still the beacon for those around the world looking for freedom, opportunity, and safety.

But once they get here, they’re handcuffed. They can’t get a job, pay taxes, get a driver’s license, or send money home. Of course, they can work under the table for cash to survive. But technically they are supposed to just be living with their sponsors and not doing anything. How realistic is that?

They’re hungry. They are tired and dirty from their long journey. They’re away from family and friends. They want to make money here and send the money back home to pay for care for ailing parents, or families they had to leave behind.

The day I was there, about 50 men from Guatemala and Ecuador were dropped off by the Border Patrol.

I don’t blame them for coming here. If I had the courage and stamina, I’d do the same thing if I was in their shoes.

Ultimately, this is a humanitarian issue. It is an issue of helping those who are suffering. Jesus healed people. Jesus would be on the frontline helping feed and shelter the people being dropped off, of that, there is no doubt.

As Jesus says in Matthew 25 in the parable of the sheep and goats,  “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36).

Regardless of a person’s views on immigration, I think Jesus shows us how to treat those who are migrants coming here, legally seeking asylum: Like human beings who are hungry and thirsty, who are strangers in the land. What folks do to help people coming across the border seeking asylum with some food, water, and coffee, is not political, it is humanitarian, and the right thing to do.