Bearing Witness

En route to The Border at Harlingen, Texas

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

The family separation stories on our border with Mexico have slipped from the front pages. That seemed all the more reason to go there, to better understand what needs still exist for children there now that the cameras are gone.

Chuck Scofield, Monica Gonzales, and I will be meeting up later today in Harlingen, TX in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley. We will spend the next two days meeting with families, advocates and lawyers and food policy experts to learn more about the needs of vulnerable children and how we can help. The meetings will include leaders from La Posada Provedencia and the Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, and we hope to attend immigration court in the morning.

We’ve made more than $100,000 in grants over the past month to help address issues at the border and we will try to get a sense of the impact they’ve had. Our goal is to listen and learn, and as always to bear witness. I hope we return with a clearer understanding of where our resources, voices, and strengths can make the most difference.