Artista: Angel Valdez
When asked what we do at Casa Juan Diego, I used to respond with generalities, abstractions that didn’t really answer the question. Over the years, though, I have responded more and more by telling stories about what happens when Catholic Workers and newly arriving migrant persons interact. Although each story is unique, they do fall into patterns, patterns that have changed over the years. Here are some stories with added context that illustrate what is happening now.
Health Care
From the medical center: “We have a pregnant woman here at the hospital. Could you receive her? She has been in the country for about two weeks. She had some pain with her pregnancy, but she is OK. She is alone.”
Caring for pregnant women in crisis is always an important part of our work. It is hard work because making sure that we have a healthy baby and mother takes a lot of time and effort for an overburdened staff. But this is where we put our values into action most clearly. This is what it means to us to be pro-life.
Another hospital pleaded with us to receive a mother, new to the country, with her three-week old. Someone had given the mother and baby a temporary place to stay as a sponsor, but each day told her she would have to leave. The social worker was very concerned about postpartum depression.
Mothers experiencing postpartum symptoms do well at Casa Juan Diego. We are a nurturing community, and a new mother that has been separated from her home and culture needs extra support in every way.
We received a family: father, mother, and daughter, newly arrived from South America. The next morning the man was spitting-up blood. When we got him to the hospital, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. We thank God for Ben Taub Hospital and the Harris Health system.
We are most grateful to the Harris Health System. It isn’t just that they meet individual health care needs, their work protects our entire community through providing access to prevention and treatment.
Journey
A young woman arrived at Casa Juan Diego after a long journey. She was offered food. She said she only wanted to sleep. She and the other women who accompanied her on the trip had walked in the Darién jungle in Panama for three days and nights without stopping to rest. They feared for their lives because of wild animals and the possible violence from human attackers.
We see many symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in new arrivals. The physical and emotional ramifications of their well-founded fear and experiences of robbery, physical and sexual assault, and just the toll to a body of walking day after day in a hellish environment causes trauma to all; they all need our vigilant care and attention, some much more than others.
A private hospital called to ask us to receive a man whose foot was badly injured on his journey. He could walk on crutches so he could care for himself. After a few days we were able to unite him with his family.
Over the past year, most migrants arriving at the US border have crossed, mainly by foot, much of the continent and more. The first few days at Casa Juan Diego always includes some level of triage. New guests will need shoes, clothes, ways to contact family if needed, a medical consult, and always a lot of safety and emotional support. We celebrate together the miracle that they have arrived at all.
Food and Housing Insecurity:
“I heard that you give out groceries. What do I have to bring to receive food?” Our response is always the same, “nothing”. Our food is humble but nutritious, and we are happy to share it with those in need.
We receive this kind of call several times a day and we speak out often about the great amount of food insecurity in our immigrant community. People that work irregular jobs can’t “prove” their income, and now, post Covid, as food prices rise, our food distribution at Casa Juan Diego has doubled again. We have an insight into the wellbeing of the larger community in this way. It burdens us greatly and motivates us to try our best to keep up with the demand.
Child Protective Services called to ask if we could take in a woman so that she could be reunited with her infant. She had been beaten by her husband and called the police. After the police intervention, she had nowhere to live, so CPS removed her baby. Now the baby is three months old and becoming reacquainted with the mother at Casa. We were glad to receive her.
There are too few shelters and supports for women that are battered, an issue made worse for new migrant women that don’t understand our laws or trust the authorities. Women can’t leave abusive partners if they have nowhere to go.
Finding Work
“We have just arrived in the United States. Could you help us with a place to stay for a few days?” Many young men come to us. Some come with their wives and children. Others are here to try to help their families in their home country. Their anxiety to work is palpable and heartbreaking at times. They don’t understand their new reality.
Many of the asylum seekers that have been processed at the border and allowed to legally remain in the United States pending their day in immigration court have family, friends, or sponsors in the U.S. willing to support them until they can get a work permit. They stay with us a few days until we can reunite them with their families. Increasingly, though, those who show up at our door have no one to help them. They are ineligible for any kind of government support; they cannot work to support themselves without a work permit. Getting one is a bureaucratic nightmare, possibly taking more than six months depending upon your home country. A Catch 22 – they are legally in this country but cannot legally work. Those who are willing to hire them take advantage of their desperate situation and offer work that is dangerous and demeaning, and often just refuse to pay them (or pay fairly) when the job is done. Preventing and protecting new arrivals from exploitation takes much of our time and attention.
In all these interactions, and the hundreds more each week, we work in solidarity with migrant persons, asylum seekers, and refugees that are needing help now; trying to set an example as Catholic Workers of a society that is more compassionate and more equitable, one loving Act of Mercy at a time. You are welcome to join us.
Houston Catholic Worker, July-September 2024, Vol. XLIV, No. 3.
