On Mother’s Day weekend in May 2019, without warning, US Border Patrol started dropping hundreds of legal asylum seeking families in Deming, NM (50 miles south of Grant County/Silver City). Most without food, adequate clothing, and in poor medical condition. Our UU congregation immediately began supporting the emergency shelter originally setup at the county fairgrounds and an old WWII airplane hangar. We were the collection site for our county and sent provisions every week. Weekly emails started going out to several hundred people with lists of immediate needs. With those donations we packed emergency food bags (GoBags) as well as sent clothing, toys, medical supplies and food for the shelter.

And then, all of that ceased in fall 2019 when the border was “shut,” and the Remain in Mexico (MPP) was strictly enforced. The shelter for asylum seekers in Palomas MX (just across the border from Deming) held a relatively stable number of guests waiting and waiting and waiting… and we transferred our support to them.

In June 2020 Border Patrol started expelling dozens (and now hundreds) of Title 42 migrants (preventing anyone from entering the US due to COVID 19) daily into Palomas (a small town of 5000). These guests might only stay 1 or 2 days, but most were in dire need of food, sleep and first aid before they decide where to go next. And because of the pandemic they had to be kept separate from the asylum seekers who were quarantined. Two totally separate shelters have since opened for these expelled persons, including a 5 month old baby recently. We remain their primary source of supplies and the number has climbed skyward. In January 2023 alone, close to 2000 people were expelled into Palomas, with half of them getting a place to sleep and food through the fire station/shelters. We pay stipends to a team in Palomas to provide for them.

In addition, in early 2022, the Deming shelter on the US side of the border re-opened for asylum seekers heading to sponsors in the US! They too need food, warm clothing and care. We supply them as well as Palomas as best we can. What we are able to do is dependent on donations from our wider community… locally, nationally and internationally.

Although there are needs across the entire southern border, we remain committed to our corner of New Mexico/Mexico which generally gets overlooked in the bigger picture. In doing so we can have a bigger impact in these smaller communities. We remain a totally volunteer group with all donations and monetary support coming from individuals. If you would like to receive our biweekly emails, contact Barbara Gabioud at bgabioud@gmail.com.

Additional note to our UU listserv: If you would like to help us on a collection Wednesday or be a driver to Deming, please let me know.  The generosity of our community will warm your heart. 

Note:  Driven by the hope for a better future, many migrants who are being expelled from the US will continue to try to re-enter, regardless of the dangers and hardships they face.

9/27/2023

 

I’m sure you’ve recently seen news stories about the crackdown on the Mexican trains carrying migrants to the border, and seen live footage with most folks riding on the roofs for hundreds of miles. Here’s Gloria, one of those riders.

 

Gloria is two years old and with her mother traveled through the Darien Gap (a hellhole of jungle connecting Columbia with Panama) from Venezuela before riding the train north. All that, and probably still in diapers. Colores United in Deming welcomed them with open arms. 

If you would like to hear more from Ariana Saludares, the executive director of CU, tune in to KURU at 89.1 FM (or on the web at gmcr.org) tomorrow morning, Thursday, at 9 AM.  Their Centro is receiving upwards of 300 guests per week with the uptick in border crossings.

AND the Venezuelans I told you about last week, who had waited months to get an appointment through the CBP One app, made it through today and are in Tucson at Casa Alitas!!

 

OUR NEXT COLLECTION IS WEDNESDAY, October 4th from 3:00 to 3:30.

Special needs: BABY FORMULA, PUREED BABY FOOD, BABY BOTTLES, DIAPER RASH CREAM, BABY WIPES, new underwear (underwear, socks, sports bras) in all sizes for all ages. FALL and WINTER CLOTHING. Comfortable shoes in all sizes. 

And for the 800 GoBags we continue to pack and send every month CRACKER PACKS, GRANOLA BARS, and small cans of VIENNA SAUSAGES. We can also use one gallon ziplock storage bags for the GoBags.  

We collect donations on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 3:00-3:30, at the UUFSC building, 3845 N Swan (not our mailing address) in Silver City. You can drive straight down on either side of our collection vehicles. We will get you unloaded and then you can drive out easily. If you are bringing any of the above GoBag items, please let the crew unloading your car know about them. 

 
If you would like to read my last 3 posts they are available on our UU website http://uufsc.com/Palomas2020.html. It might give you ideas of other needed supplies. Or you can dig deeper on our fellowship’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UUFSC all the way back to May 2019 when our project started.

 To contribute financially you can mail checks made out to UUFSC (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City) with ‘Border' in the memo line to UUFSC, PO Box 4034, Silver City, NM 88062. Thank you for your support ~Barbara

8/30/2023

 

Ariana Saludares, the executive director of Colores United, sent us this photo. Baby Elizabeth was born the day her mother arrived at Mariposa Ranch, the Deming shelter. She was named for one of the shelter employees. She and her brother, José, came from Guatemala with their parents. These are the kids and families to whom you are giving a better life.

 

Two important pieces of news this week. FIRST, on Monday, Ariana and David Henkel (UNM Emeritus Professor of Planning) presented a profile of Colores United, migration patterns and realities, and technical needs of the Deming shelter to a class in the UNM School of Architecture and Planning’s Design and Practice Assistance Center. The end result is that a team of graduate students and professors will be coming down to Deming Sept 8-10 to assess the situation on the ground, and develop design solutions intended to help reopen the center for housing of migrant guests and to sketch out longer-term uses of the space. No more need for hotels! Electrical and plumbing infrastructure is so critical. 

SECONDLY, Colores is now accepting FALL and WINTER CLOTHING (especially for young boys, like José above). I know some of you have been holding on to some great donations for just this announcement As a guideline, think about clothing you or your children would want to wear when traveling.

OUR NEXT COLLECTION IS WEDNESDAY, September 6th, from 3:00 to 3:30.

Special needs: BABY FORMULA, PUREED BABY FOOD, BABY BOTTLES,  DIAPER RASH CREAM, BABY WIPES, new underwear (underwear, socks, sports bras) in all sizes for all ages. Comfortable shoes in all sizes. 

And in November we will again be participating in the Special Holiday Coat Drive that Grupo Beta sponsors in Palomas. We will be requesting COATS and JACKETS (hats, scarves and gloves).  

And for the 800 GoBags we continue to pack and send every month CRACKER PACKS, GRANOLA BARS, and small cans of VIENNA SAUSAGES. We can also use one gallon ziplock storage bags for the GoBags. 

We collect donations on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 3:00-3:30, at the UUFSC building, 3845 N Swan (not our mailing address) in Silver City. You can drive straight down on either side of our collection vehicles. We will get you unloaded and then you can drive out easily. If you are bringing any of the above GoBag items, please let the crew unloading your car know about them. If you would like to read my last 3 posts they are available on our UU website uufsc.com. It might give you ideas of other needed supplies. Click on the Palomas/Deming 2023 link on the left side of the page. Or you can dig deeper on our fellowship’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UUFSC all the way back to May 2019 when our project started.

To contribute financially you can mail checks made out to UUFSC (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City) with ‘Border' in the memo line to UUFSC, PO Box 4034, Silver City, NM 88062. Thank you for your support ~Barbara Gabioud

8/8/2023

 

FLASH NEWS! If you have summer clothing for little boys 2T-5T the Deming shelter is once again in need

The Las Cruces and Deming shelters continue to receive busloads of legal asylum seekers through both the El Paso and Tucson Border Patrol sectors. After many months of slow action, the last several weeks have been busy. That’s a good thing! Although I don’t have any big news to share this week but I want to reiterate how important your donations are both on our collection days and the financial donations many of you send in. We support the staff and many supplies in Palomas financially. The Deming shelter has many ‘pop-up” needs that  FEMA funding doesn’t cover. And whatever foodstuffs don’t come in on collections days for the 200 weekly GoBags have to be purchased.  

From last time also: The Deming shelter is still in need of VOLUNTEERS in many capacities. At the Warehouse/Centro you could sort clothing/donations; launder dirty clothing; prep comfort kits for guests (primos); work in food pantry organizing food; paint interior walls; organize tools in the maintenance shop; or put up insulation. At the Shelter/Motel you could help clean/prep rooms; assist with towel/blanket washing; participate in activities with families; help with transportation booking; or help with food prep/cooking/serving. If you would like to volunteer there, contact Joseline Ramirez at joseline.coloresunited@gmail.com. 

OUR NEXT COLLECTION IS WEDNESDAY, August 16th, from 3:00 to 3:30.

With the current influx of families, the Deming shelter is requesting BABY FORMULA, PUREED BABY FOOD, BABY BOTTLES,  DIAPER RASH CREAM, BABY WIPES, BOYS SUMMER CLOTHING 2T-5T, CHILDREN’S SOCKS, new underwear (underwear, socks, sports bras) in all sizes for all ages. Comfortable shoes in all sizes are great. Still NO SUMMER CLOTHING except for little boys.

And for the 800 GoBags we continue to pack and send every month CRACKER PACKS, WELCH’S FRUIT SNACKS, GRANOLA BARS, and small cans of VIENNA SAUSAGES. We can also use one gallon ziplock storage bags for the GoBags. 

We collect donations on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 3:00-3:30, at the UUFSC building, 3845 N Swan (not our mailing address) in Silver City. You can drive straight down on either side of our collection vehicles. We will get you unloaded and then you can drive out easily. If you are bringing any of the above GoBag items, please let the crew unloading your car know about them. If you would like to read my last 3 posts they are available on our UU website uufsc.com. It might give you ideas of other needed supplies. Click on the Palomas/Deming 2023 link on the left side of the page. Or you can dig deeper on our fellowship’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UUFSC all the way back to May 2019 when our project started.

To contribute financially you can mail checks made out to UUFSC (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City) with ‘Border' in the memo line to UUFSC, PO Box 4034, Silver City, NM 88062. Thank you for your support ~Barbara Gabioud

 https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/immigration/border-towns-struggle-with-the-thousands-of-migrants-immediately-deported-under-cdc-order/