Religious and nonprofit groups on the holiday resort of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., mobilized Thursday morning, after 50 migrants arrived from Texas, an unexpected development courtesy of a Republican governor searching for to make a political statement in regards to the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border. The migrants, who largely hailed from Venezuela, got lodging at a neighborhood Episcopal church, and a close-by Catholic church has offered additional space should more arrive, the Vineyard Gazette reported Thursday.
The surprise arrival of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, an upscale vacation destination, is the newest episode in a monthslong effort by at the least three Republican governors—Greg Abbott of Texas, Doug Ducey of Arizona and Ron DeSantis of Florida—to send those searching for asylum on the southern border to politically liberal locations. As migrants arrive in Washington, Recent York and Chicago, Catholic leaders have been readily available in each city to welcome them.
Gov. Abbott announced on April 6 that his state would charter buses to send migrants entering from Mexico to “the steps of the U.S. Capitol.” Since then, Gov. Ducey created his own plan to do the identical and started busing migrants last month. Together, the 2 states have sent greater than 10,000 migrants searching for asylum to locations which have deemed themselves “sanctuary cities.”
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami released a press release that called leaders to acknowledge the “broken” immigration system as “a fundamental human and moral issue.”
For his part, Gov. DeSantis used money allocated by the Florida legislature to fly migrants to Massachusetts on Wednesday evening, his office said Thursday. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami released a press release dated Sept. 15 that called leaders to acknowledge the “broken” immigration system as “a fundamental human and moral issue.” While Archbishop Wenski has a protracted record of advocating for the rights of migrants, his statement didn’t explicitly mention the relocations.
Branches of the Catholic Charities network in these cities are struggling to process the wave of recent clients along with carrying out their usual work. But partnerships with governmental and nongovernmental organizations are helping manage the rapidly evolving crisis.
Starting in April, Washington, D.C., became the primary city to receive busloads of migrants from Texas and Arizona, and the nation’s capital has taken in the best number by far. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office said 9,400 migrants have arrived from the 2 border states.
Branches of the Catholic Charities network in these cities are struggling to process the wave of recent clients along with carrying out their usual work.
Catholic Charities was considered one of the primary organizations in motion at Union Station in Washington, D.C., to welcome the migrants, who arrived during Holy Week.
Sharlet Ann Wagner, C.S.C., the chief director of the Newcomer Network, a project of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, organized welcome crews for the buses along side other agencies.
“We met them the primary three days—Wednesday, Thursday and Friday—after which other organizations stepped in and helped,” including D.C.-based nonprofit SAMU First Response, Sister Wagner told America.
Throughout the summer, Sister Wagner said, Catholic Charities D.C. began to deal with case management as partner organizations took over greeting and sheltering duties. About 85 percent of the migrants have left town for other parts of the country, however the 15 percent who remain proceed to work toward asylum status. The Newcomer Network offers services to assist them achieve that.
“We couldn’t just drop the people we were serving as a way to do that. And so staff were continuing full-time, serving the people we’d been serving and meeting the buses on top of it.”
The most important challenges have been logistical, Sister Wagner said, especially for many who plan to remain local. Emergency provisions for food and shelter are already strained. Migrants who remain cannot proceed to live in temporary hotel quarters offered by town of Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Md.
The resulting swell of demand has strained the already-busy Newcomer Network, Sister Wagner said.
“We couldn’t just drop the people we were serving as a way to do that. And so staff were continuing full-time, serving the people we’d been serving and meeting the buses on top of it,” she said.
In Recent York, nearly 2,000 migrants have arrived at Manhattan’s Port Authority in only the past month. City officials say the shelter system has been under strain because the spring. Mayor Eric Adam’s office reported last month that roughly 4,000 recent immigrants entered shelters from April to August.
“These are individuals with names, and with dads and mothers. These are husbands and wives and youngsters, and we love them. And we welcome them.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of Recent York, held a press conference on Aug. 16, affirming his commitment to assisting the migrants.
“These are individuals with names, and with dads and mothers,” Cardinal Dolan said. “These are husbands and wives and youngsters, and we love them. And we welcome them.”
Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, the chief director of Catholic Charities of Recent York, was also in attendance to talk on his agency’s response.
“Despite the fact that this surge is unprecedented, and yes, there have been glitches understandably brought on by this crisis, [Catholic Charities of New York] has never shirked from accepting their responsibility to offer shelter without any consideration for those in Recent York City,” he said.
Representatives from the Recent York Catholic Charities agency criticized federal border officials for improper asylum documentation.
Cardinal Dolan added that the employees on the agency are “old hands at this and used to doing this with respect and efficiency.”
On the press conference, representatives from the Recent York Catholic Charities agency criticized federal border officials for improper asylum documentation, namely for indiscriminately addressing court notices for asylum seekers to their offices.
Maryann Tharappel, a Catholic Charities attorney, said on the press conference that such practices steeply increase the likelihood of deportation for these migrants.
“These will not be residential addresses. These will not be spaces which can be in a position to accommodate these immigrants. And worse, the federal government is assuming that these are addresses that they will receive mail at…about their court cases, about upcoming deadlines,” she said. “These are clients we’ve got never encountered.”
“There was quite a little bit of preparation on the bottom already in place before we saw the primary buses arrive.”
Chicago, meanwhile, is probably the most recent major city to receive migrant buses, with the primary wave of migrants arriving on Aug. 31. Phil Zepeda, the vp of communications for Catholic Charities Chicago, told America that the agency has processed roughly 500 migrants in the course of the last two weeks.
Chicago’s Catholic Charities agency has worked alongside partner organizations that deal with prolonged food and shelter. Marie Jochum, the senior director for special projects, told America that the charity network in Chicago benefitted from seeing the response in Washington, D.C., and Recent York.
“We all know that is coming, how are we going to be prepared?” Ms. Jochum recalled pondering. “There was quite a little bit of preparation on the bottom already in place before we saw the primary buses arrive.”
“The work at Catholic Charities is all the time accompaniment. It’s all the time showing up for families and individuals, and saying: How can we assist you on the following step of your journey?”
Ms. Jochum said her branch operates an intake shelter, staffed with bilingual social staff, where migrants can get an initial meal and shower before making more longterm plans. She credited local parishes within the Archdiocese of Chicago for his or her strong support in helping to offer shelter and greet migrants.
Each Ms. Jochum and Mr. Zepeda emphasized the importance of flexibility, as various agencies are asked to pitch in as needs arise.
On Thursday, Gov. DeSantis took responsibility for sending the 2 airplanes crammed with migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Gov. Abbot, meanwhile, said on Thursday that Texas would proceed to send migrants to sanctuary cities, taking responsibility for sending two buses with migrants to the realm near the vp’s residence in Washington.
Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, head of the Diocese of Fall River, which incorporates the island, said in a press release on Friday that local Catholic Charities agencies are readying to assist the migrants, a few of whom left Martha’s Vineyard for an additional location on Cape Cod.
“These newcomers to our area have endured a difficult journey and the challenges they face are many. Our welcome to them should be marked by respect and compassion and be coupled with our prayers for them within the weeks and months ahead,” Bishop da Cunha said.
Which means local Catholic Charities are continuing to plan for the way they could assist should more migrants arrive. In Chicago, Ms. Jochum redoubled Catholic Charities’ commitment to continued aid.
“The work at Catholic Charities is all the time accompaniment. It’s all the time showing up for families and individuals, and saying: How can we assist you on the following step of your journey?” Ms. Jochum said. “Whether that’s the Venezuelan migrants or another person who walks into considered one of our services, we’re doing what we do on daily basis.”
This story has been updated.
