Nuevo Laredo, Mexico – An Indian Salesian priest has joined an international team working for migrants on the USA-Mexico border in Tijuana. Fr Shiju James originally belonging to Kolkata Salesian province was a missionary in Guatemala last five years before he came to Tijuana.
“No one is illegal”, “All have the right to live a better life”, “All are equal before the law”, “All have the right to migrate” etc. are some of the phrases used in the area of migration. The resent short visit of Pope Francis, to Lesvos and the earlier visit to Mexico mentioned strongly about the migrants, and the urgent need to assist them.
Since October 2014, the Inter American provinces decided to start a mission among the migrants. The USA-Mexico border is an increasing issue for migrants in the American continent. The need to assist them is an urgent task of the church and various organizations are involved in various types of activities.
The Scalabrinians (congregation founded to work for the migrants) are doing a good job along with other congregations and dioceses as well as government and non-government organizations.
The Salesians have a center of attention in Tijuana, Mexico, near to the border of California USA, feeding everyday more than 1000 (one thousand) migrants and the needy. They also give various services like health, cloths, preparing documents, and short-term courses to skill them for employability. Since the migrants are a moving group, it is difficult to assist them on a regular basis.
The congregation felt that the Salesians need to do something especially for the migrant youth.
The meeting of 2014 provoked the superiors of the region to take up new tasks to assists the migrants especially teenagers and youth who are not accompanied by a family member.
In January 2016, the Salesians of Inter-American provinces started an international community within the parish community of Nuevo Laredo in Mexico, very close to the USA border with Texas.
From the Central American province, I was asked to be part of this project. Up to now, two of us (Fr. Ernesto Hernández – de la inspectoría de Guadalajara, México) and I are involved in this project.
The first stage of our task is to make ourselves known to the reality of the situation and to prepare some plan of action for this population. We are on the move to visit our Salesian presences in USA-Mexican border, to create a hub to facilitate this project.
Migration is not only a problem of Mexico but all over the world. With document or without document, lots of them migrate to different countries, especially looking for a better economy.
The situation in this part of the world too is economy along with violence. The governments are unstable and are not able to provide the security for the lives.
The NARCO TRAFFIC (drug dealings) has become a culture in of Latin American countries. Many youth are trapped into this danger and most of them try to run away from this evil and become migrants in other countries. This is a very sad situation because one has to leave everything, once and for all to save his or her life. Most of them will never meet their parents again as they are illegal in another country, and there is no one to help them to get their legal status. Thank God that the cries of such people are heard by God and many groups are out in the street now to defend the rights of the migrants.
The church has taken a major role in Mexico-USA, like other Latin American Countries. Mexico, however is the entry point to USA and the control of the boarder is practically in the hands of mafia associated with narcos.
The migrants are vulnerable to any type of dangers during their transit. It takes from one month up to one year or more to reach their destination (USA).
We had chance to listen to various testimonies that touched the hearts with tears in our eyes.
The life of such migrants are tough and many who put their trust in the Lord reach to their destinations. The stories of hundreds and hundreds, who lose their lives on the way, are not noted but can find dead bodies in the deserts, in abandoned houses, in burned vehicles etc.
It is the call of the Holy Spirit to religious congregations to venture out to the field of the migrants to stand for their rights and to defend them against dangers.
The migrants migrate not to impose their culture rather to adapt to the reality and the condition of a new place. The migrants are not dictators to colonize the countries or territories, they are simply migrants. They should learn to adapt to the culture of the new place, like our Saviour came to our world and adapted everything except sin.
The Salesians hope to assist the migrant youth in the style of their Father and Founder Don Bosco who labored to train marginalized young people into “Good Christians and Honest Citizens.”