About ten years ago I spent the summer in Cuba. A fascinating country, but what I remember most was how heavily policed Havana was. Uniformed law enforcement seemed to be everywhere, to the point that it felt oppressive. It WAS oppressive, a police state, they say. Last summer in Texas was the summer of family… continue reading
One Way to Help Stranded Migrants in Tijuana
November 29, 2018 by
Here is information on how to send funds to Cáritas Tijuana to assist the thousands of migrants in crisis there: The bank is Bancomer. Send to Bancomer in the name of Cáritas Región Noroeste, A. C. CARITAS TIJUANA phone number for information below. Or call Casa Juan Diego and we can give you the… continue reading
Children Detained: Immigration and Jesus’ Story of the Rich Man and the Beggar
June 22, 2018 by
Those of us who work closely with immigrants, who share our lives with them at Casa Juan Diego, have had to come to terms with the increasingly cruel and aggressive policies of our government towards our guests. We have gotten accustomed to it, to be honest. I am not sure this is entirely a good… continue reading
Catholic Bishops Call Forced Separation of Migrant Families Immoral
June 19, 2018 by
Forced separation of children and parents at the United States’ southern border, as a tool of a new, harsher immigration policy, shocks the conscience with its brutal indifference to the enduring injury it causes children and its callous neglect for human dignity. As the count of children separated from their families has grown into the… continue reading
Traumatized Migrants Find Healing at Casa Juan Diego
May 28, 2018 by
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” the opening words of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities,describes nicely our recent experiences at Casa Juan Diego. Hurricane Harvey, with the heaviest rainfall in the recorded history of this country, would seem to qualify as the worst of times, except… continue reading
Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra Coming to Casa Juan Diego
April 15, 2018 by
Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra is well-known in Mexico for his work with migrants and for courageously withstanding many threats of violence as a result. When Houston Boy Scout Inti Chavarria completed his Eagle Scout Project (a playground for the children living at Casa Juan Diego), he decided to invite Fr. Solalinde to his Court of… continue reading
A Well-Founded Fear of Persecution: Cruel Setback for Asylum Seeker
October 18, 2017 by
Every day at Casa Juan Diego we encounter a world economic system that is out of balance. On one hand, we live in one of the world’s most affluent cities in one of the world’s most affluent nations. It is hard not to notice that many people in Houston, including us Catholic Workers, have… continue reading
Migrations #1 In Memoriam José Angel Alfano Solana
June 22, 2017 by
We crossed over the border I won’t say how and what can I say of freezing desert nights black sky blazing stars then searing, burning sun tearing into flesh relentless, relentless the walking, and fear then……..running, running as sand clouds appear against the far sky running, running—-and then I lost you and Juan and the… continue reading
Why Are We Deporting Thousands Of Children Alone?
May 13, 2016 by
We wrote in the last issue about the Central American children who come to the United States alone and the mothers with children who are escaping imminent death in their countries but are the first to be deported when they arrive. Now the news is even worse. The Department of Security is sending deportation officers… continue reading
Regarding Policies of Return: Returning the Women and Children To the Boat to Drown
January 26, 2016 by
Traditionally, when passenger ships sailed on open waters, an emergency on the ship could mean doom. People would be ushered to life rafts and in the colonial days, boats were often stuffed full of more people than could be accommodated on the small life rafts. The cry would go out for women and children to… continue reading
