Border Ministry
Migrants on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are blessed to be served by an incredible network of pastors who Fellowship Southwest is proud to support.
If you’d like to support this work financially, donate to the Knox Fund for Immigrant Relief by clicking here.
From West to East
Tijuana: Juvenal González
El Paso/Juarez: Rosalío Sosa
Piedras Negras: Israel Rodríguez
Harlingen: Eddie & Elizabeth Bernal
Brownsville: Carlos Navarro
a 40-minute documentary from a 2021 trip to the border, from coast to coast
Immigration Policy Updates
Part of our work with immigration ministry and advocacy is making sure that our readers understand the complex and ever-changing U.S. immigration policies. When these policies change, it changes the way ministry can be done on the border. FSW has joined coalitions to advocate for an end to MPP and Title 42, two immigration policies that put migrants at great risk. Listed here are some articles we have featured in our weekly newsletter, analyzing the latest political situations. Subscribe here to receive these directly to your inbox.
As the border deal fails to secure enough votes in Congress, attention has pivoted to push for the passage of H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act. However, a closer examination of the bill reveals alarming provisions that pose significant risks to the well-being and rights of migrant children –those they claim to protect.
Here's a breakdown of what is included in H.R.2:
Sojo Action, the advocacy division of Sojourners, invited Anyra Cano to join a group of Latino faith leaders for advocacy in Washington, D.C. early this week, to share about their immigrant communities. Anyra is the Fellowship Southwest director of programs and outreach and has organized dozens of trips for churches and individuals at the border this year, which are followed up by advocacy actions. One such recent advocacy activity was a Christmas postcard which children at two DFW churches colored and filled out to be delivered to Congress during this Sojo advocacy week.
On Nov. 30th, more than 600 migrants who are stranded in Matamoros, Mexico - just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas - were given an orientation on U.S. immigration processes by Elket Rodriguez, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship U.S.-Mexico border field personnel, with the coordination of Pastor Eleuterio Gonzalez of Valle de Beraca Church.
Más de 600 migrantes varados en Matamoros, México – justo al otro lado del Río Grande de Brownsville, Texas –fueron orientados el 30 de noviembre sobre los procesos migratorios en los Estados Unidos por el personal de campo del Compañerismo Bautista Cooperativo para la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos, Elket Rodríguez, con la asistencia del pastor Eleuterio González de l iglesia Valle de Beraca.
1,500 migrants crossing en masse in El Paso this week is an act of desperation by folks frustrated with a broken system. The U.S. immigration system is broken and overwhelmed, not unlike so many individuals seeking asylum here.
FSW Executive Director Stephen Reeves is in Washington, D.C. this week with Elket Rodríguez, Chrissy Tatum Williamson. Elket is a CBF field personnel and immigration specialist in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, and Chrissy is the pastor of Greystone Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC.
Evangelical Immigration Table invited advocates from all over the country to join together in an organized action week for immigration advocacy. They are asking Congress to pass long overdue immigration reforms to provide permanent solutions for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and agricultural workers, and work with administration officials to improve border management.