12.9. 2016 Written By: Hannah Heinzekehr
Photo: Hundreds of women and children were released from Texas detention centers and dropped off in San Antonio, Texas, via bus this week. RAICES photo.
This week, Mennonites in San Antonio, Texas, found themselves at the center of interfaith efforts to respond to a citywide crisis that began Monday, Dec. 5, when ICE (United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) began to release hundreds of Central American asylum seekers, all women and children, who had been held at detention centers across south Texas.
Since 2014, members of San Antonio Mennonite Church have partnered with the citywide Interfaith Welcome Coalition, a group of people who came together to try to respond to reports of hundreds of Central American women and children being detained in Texas. Through this group, SAMC also worked with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) to turn a guest house owned by SAMC into a day shelter and holding space for recently released women and children. Most days, a bus pulls into the church parking lot, and a volunteer is on hand to take women and children to La Casa, where they can find food, a place to rest, clean clothes, a place to shower, and time and space to figure out what comes next. RAICES staff members are at the house to help the women and children access a variety of services, whether they are looking for legal advice, medical or counseling services, transportation or a way to communicate with family and friends.
Most days, the house provides shelter for 20-50 people. But these numbers are on the rise, and the congregation has seen an influx of 500 women and children in this week alone.
Read more at https://themennonite.org/daily-news/san-antonio-mennonites-lead-interfaith-response-influx-refugees/.
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