Recent US government policies deny most asylum applicants from even having an opportunity to request asylum before being deported back into Mexico. The immigration policy of prevention through deterrence (making the immigration process as difficult and dangerous as possible) is alive and well. Volunteers have witnessed Border Patrol taking most of migrants’ possessions including critical mediations before deporting them onto the street in Nogales, Mexico. A few weeks ago, volunteers encountered a woman with a small baby who was desperate because Border Patrol had taken her baby bottle, and she had no way to feed her baby.
One of the most cruel universal procedures is that when asylum seekers are encountered by BP, they immediately take them to a detention facility for processing before deporting them. At the detention facility they remove their shoelaces (adults and children as well) “for their own safety”. When they deport them onto the Nogales street, they do not return the shoelaces. It may seem a small thing, but the lack of shoelaces immediately identifies them to cartel members as deported migrants, a lucrative source of income for the cartels.
Groups of volunteers have been trying to find ways to meet their immediate needs for food, shelter, medications, and of course shoelaces. The need is great. They are seeing around 1,200 asylum seekers deported each week for the past couple of months. Similar deportations are happening in California and Texas.
Here are the links to the Amazon shoelaces and the address to ship them to. Please share among your congregations and groups.
- Amazon.com: Amerlery 16 Pairs Oval Shoe Laces, Half Round 1/4″ Shoelaces 23″-78″, Shoe Strings for Athletic Running Sneakers : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry
- Amazon.com: Xinnun 40 Pairs Oval Shoes Laces Bulk 1/4 Half Round Shoe Laces for Sneakers Black White Gray Colorful Shoelaces (Black, 47 Inch) : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry
Address to ship to: Salvavision PO Box 26717 Tucson, AZ 85726
