(ANS – Tijuana - November 14) – The Salesians’ Father Chava
Refectory in Tijuana, on the border between Mexico and the United States, has
been receiving hundreds of migrants who are part of the caravan of people
intending to seek asylum in the U.S. The Salesian house offers food, medical
assistance, and a place to stay to those who request it.
Salesian
Fr. Agustin Novoa Leyva is responsible for the Tijuana Salesian Project. In
this interview he offers a straightforward view on the arrival and reception of
the caravan of migrants now arriving at the border. He remembers that migrants
are, first of all, people.
Are
you responsible for a reception center?
Yes,
I’m the director of the Salesian shelter of Tijuana. We have an ordinary center,
and we’ve been able to open other emergency shelters. As you know, this
phenomenon of the caravan is very special: about 500 people have already
arrived, and we want to offer them a dignified service.
In
the next few days, these 500 migrants will perhaps become thousands. How are
you preparing?
We’re
doing everything we can. From the moment these people entered Mexico, we
started to prepare. But in these situations it’s very difficult to foresee
everything because, unlike the other cities through which they were in transit,
here the path of the caravan to the United States cannot proceed beyond three
months, according to the latest U.S. laws.
How
many days do you have enough food supplies for?
I
can’t say precisely, but institutions and the Church have launched an appeal
for solidarity, and in our case every day we offer over 800 breakfasts to
people in street situations and to migrants. In this case, however, we should
be offering all three meals per day. Some time ago we had a similar situation
with the massive arrival of Haitians, and thank God we didn’t run out of food.
[Ed. note: Fr. Mike Pace of our New Rochelle Province spent several months at
Padre Chava assisting with care for the Haitians, because of his ability to
speak French.]
How
many Haitians are still in Tijuana?
There
are about 3,000 who have remained. They are regularizing their situation and
have integrated well into the city.
How
will you be able to serve the people you serve routinely and this new group that’s
coming?
This
morning we’ve already offered around 1,200 breakfasts, and we’re preparing to
continue at that pace. We already have about 200 volunteers. We have supplies
for about four weeks, and we’ve asked institutions for help to continue our
services. We’re asking for any kind of help from the government, but they’ve
never done it before, and I think it’ll be the same now.
What
are the possible scenarios for this phenomenon?
Each
phenomenon is very different.... The embassies of Guatemala and Honduras have
offered the opportunity to obtain birth certificates and official documents
that would allow migrants to work, and in this way the city and companies could
help in some way, as has already been done with the Haitians.
Some
say that migrants have had problems with the police.
There’s
a bit of everything. I don’t like to generalize by saying that it’s a caravan
of “evildoers.” Migrants are people in a special situation. Perhaps they’re
experiencing their crises and we don’t understand their reactions. There are people
who, when they arrived at the border, wanted to climb the wall, and there were tense
situations.
What
do you think of the fact that since this caravan arrived in Mexico you’ve gotten
many messages of contempt?
Yes,
this situation of contempt is painful because, first of all, they’re people,
and we know that ours is a country of emigrants. Tijuana is a city that’s
always welcomed people; I hope it doesn’t change in this case.
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