Two days before the inauguration, a young family from Michoacan crossed the border into Nogales, Sonora, in their pickup truck with all their belongings and $5000 in cash. For those of you who don’t know what this crossing is like, Mexican SAT (Mexico’s IRS) has a checkpoint one must pass through. There are regulations about what one can and cannot bring into Mexico, and there are many items on which they can assess taxes. One of the regulations is that Mexican nationals cannot bring a foreign-plated vehicle into the country. This young family did not know that. Their US-plated truck was seized, as was all their money. And they were told to empty all their belongings onto the street. Why did they find themselves in this situation?
A year earlier, they had crossed into the US using the CBP One app and were granted entry to proceed with their asylum case. They had been living in Phoenix, and their first court date was coming up in a week. Because Trump was about to take office, and because of his promises of mass deportations, they were afraid. Afraid that they would be arrested, potentially separated, and detained. They were afraid for their children. So they decided to self-deport and at least return to their country with what they had managed to save and accrue.
And so, on a cold Sunday afternoon in January, this family was on the street by the port of entry, their belongings piled up around them, with no money, no vehicle, and nowhere to go.
This was the beginning of the continually shifting landscape in Nogales because of the new US administration.
As most of you know, the CBP One app was terminated on January 21st, so those with upcoming appointments no longer had them. Those who had been waiting months, trying every day to get an appointment, no longer had that option. So all those people - from Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, and other countries, many with little or no money- now were trying to figure out what they would do next—trying to figure out how they would survive and where they would go. I don’t think most of us can imagine what that would be like. And it’s important to say here that all those people followed the rules the previous administration had put into place by using the CBP One app to request asylum in the US. Add to that population of displaced humans the busloads of deportees that started to come through the port of entry and be processed at the Repatriation Center.
The handful of shelters throughout the city that house migrants temporarily have low occupancy right now. Why is this? Soon after the inauguration, those in the shelters waiting for appointments left because there was no reason to stay without the hope of asylum, especially in temporary shelters. Many of the deportees coming through are moving to other parts of Mexico, so they only need shelter for a couple of nights. Also, fewer Mexicans have come through the Repatriation Center in the last few days. It’s mostly been folks from other countries, and they have been processed and then put on buses to Hermosillo, and we imagine points south from there.
As you may imagine, some of the asylum seekers, as well as some of the deportees, have nowhere else to go. It’s unsafe for them to return to where they came from, whether in Mexico or other countries. And this is why our apartments in Nogales, Sonora, remain full, as are other “affordable” rentals in town. Currently, we have eight families with 14 children and one single woman. Two families are from Venezuela, and the rest are Mexican; one Indigenous family is from Oaxaca. They are a mix of asylum seekers who had their appointments canceled, those who were still waiting for appointments, and those who had been deported. These are folks who, for now at least, have decided to start their new lives in Nogales. Pancho helps them do that, counseling them and assisting them with everything they need to do to start over. It is necessary to ensure they have all their correct documents - the official ID in Mexico, called a CURP. Ensure their kids are enrolled in school and helping them to find jobs.
For other families who are not in our apartments and have decided to stay in Nogales, at least for now, we are helping them pay for rent, household items they need, and all the other services we provide for our guests. Most recently, we’ve been helping a Haitian family get settled - a mom and a dad with two kids. And, of course, we continue to provide our medical care and services and collect and distribute clothes and hygiene necessities.
As for the young Michoacan family, Pancho coordinated with Dora Rodriguez (Salvavision), her volunteers, and the folks from N.A.N.A. Children's Ministry to move them and all their belongings to the Church’s shelter for the night. The next day, we paid for shipping to get their belongings back to Michoacan and their bus tickets and food for the long bus trip. We have kept in touch with them and are still helping with some pesos until they’re more settled.
(Media in Nogales, Sonora covered this story. Here's an article with a video interview with Pancho. https://lasillarota.com/estados/2025/1/21/huyen-de-trump-los-atraca-migracion-519560.html)
One of our great strengths as a small organization is that we are nimble and flexible and rise to the call of help where and when needed. So, as the landscape changes, we will adapt to serve those most in need. And we can do so because of your support in all its forms.
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