Annunciation House

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/06/06/texas-border-abbott-immigration-shelters/

This Catholic leader shelters migrants. Texas says he runs ‘stash houses.’ Ruben Garcia founded Annunciation House to shelter the neediest immigrants — the undocumented. Texas officials say his work encourages illegal migration.

Hi all! Our 11 am MST press conference will be live streamed via our page. Link in bio!

https://www.elpasodiocese.org/statement-in-support-of-annunciation-house.html

Statement in Support of Annunciation House ​February 22, 2024 For generations, El Paso has worked hard to build a resilient and welcoming borderland community, a place of welcome and dignity. Today, however, we find ourselves in an...

Annunciation House will hold a press conference to address its position in response to the
Texas Attorney General’s unprecedented assault on our faith based organization. Please join us Friday, February 23 at 11 am at Casa Vides (325 Leon Street, El Paso, TX 79901). Our full press release is available via the second slide.

Annunciation House will hold a press conference on Friday, February 23rd, at 11 am to address its position in response to the Texas Attorney General’s unprecedented assault.

The Attorney General came to Annunciation House on February 7, 2024 stating that the organization had one day to turn over a broad swath of records to the Attorney General without an explanation. Annunciation House asked a Court to decide what documents the law permits the Attorney General to access. There is nothing illegal about asking a Court to decide a person’s rights.

The AG has now made explicit that its real goal is not records but to shut down the organization. It has stated that it considers it a crime for a Catholic organization to provide shelter to refugees.

The Attorney General’s illegal, immoral and anti-faith position to shut down Annunciation House is unfounded. Annunciation House has provided hospitality to hundreds of thousands of refugees for over forty-six years. It is a work recognized by the Catholic Church and is listed in the National Catholic Directory. Annunciation House has done this work of accompaniment out of the scriptural and Gospel mandate to welcome the stranger. Annunciation House’s response to the stranger is no different from that of the schools who enroll children of refugees, the clinics and hospitals who care for the needs of refugees, and the churches, synagogues, and mosques who welcome families to join in worship.

If the work that Annunciation House conducts is illegal – so too is the work of our local hospitals, schools, and food banks.

Details for the press conference are as
follows:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2024 at 11:00 AM
CASA VIDES
325 LEON STREET
EL PASAO, TEXAS 79901

Annunciation House was founded 46 years ago today. These words from our founder, Ruben Garcia, are as apt today as they were when he wrote them for our 20th anniversary:

“The hospitality that is Annunciation House is not simply a work in charity. It is a vigil in justice- an often lonely vigil in the face of anti-immigrant sentiment and unyielding belief that it’s OK to use the poor to ensure higher standards of living for others.”

“By virtue of their long and incredible journeys, physical presence, great human suffering and indomitable spirit, [immigrants] continue to demand that they be taken into account in the ongoing process which defines the relationship among peoples, decides the distribution of wealth and resources of the land and judges what will be the rights, privileges, and recourse of all.”

We are halfway to our goal! No donation is too small. For over 46 years, donations of all sizes are what enables Annunciation House to provide hospitality to those in migration. Our incredible community has raised $5,455.00 as part of the annual El Paso Giving Day fundraiser! You can donate via https://elpasogivingday.org/organizations/annunciation-house

(Picture used with consent)

El Paso Giving Day has begun! You can support the vital work of Annunciation House as we accompanying the migrant, refugee, and economically vulnerable people of the border. Donations can be made via https://elpasogivingday.org/organizations/annunciation-house! We are excited to be among over 200+ nonprofits that are supported during this annual fundraiser. Our supporters have already donated $2,420.00 towards our $10,000 goal. We love our borderlands community!

Annunciation House - El Paso Giving Day | October 19, 2023 El Paso Giving Day is an online charitable giving campaign designed to shine a light on the essential work of nonprofit organizations and ignite the spirit of giving in our community.

Podcast Alert! Mary Bull, our long-term house coordinator, was a guest on the The Jesuit Border Podcast!

Mary talks about what first brought her from Michigan down to the border, and what has inspired her to continue her work at Annunciation House for the past ten years. The discussion also includes examples of faithfulness in mission, including the two Mexican Jesuits who were killed in the Tarahumara mountains, Fr. Javier Campos, SJ, and Fr. Joaquin Mora, SJ.

Click below to listen!

‎The Jesuit Border Podcast: S3E4: “Faithfulness” with Mary Bull from Annunciation House in El Paso, TX on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Jesuit Border Podcast, Ep S3E4: “Faithfulness” with Mary Bull from Annunciation House in El Paso, TX - Nov 8, 2022

Annunciation House mourns the passing of Patricia (Pat) Malcolm: advocate, artist, beloved wife and mother, and a longtime friend of our house. Pat painted the magnificent mural at Casa Vides and designed our Voice of the Voiceless award.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her.

Obituary here: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/patricia-malcolm-obituary?id=53160099

Annunciation House was one of 203 civil, human rights, and immigrant rights organizations that signed a letter to President Biden urging his administration to halt the use and defense of the Asylum Ban Policy. We are committed to the human rights of asylum seekers and call on the administration to unequivocally .

203 Groups Join Letter Urging President Biden Halt Use and Defense of Asylum Ban Policy The undersigned 203 civil, human rights, and immigrant rights organizations write in the wake of the U.S. District Court’s decision in the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant case, pertaining to your administration’s “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways” rule (“asylum ban”), to urge your administra...

We're pleased to share this reflection from long-term volunteer Justine McCoy, who writes that "Living in solidarity with our asylum-seeking guests helps us to see each of them as a “fellow traveler.”

Read Justine's article on our blog:

https://annunciationhouse.org/in-solidarity-with-migrants/

In Solidarity with Migrants – Annunciation House In Solidarity with Migrants by Justine McCoy, Annunciation House Volunteer This article was first published in Western Friends. Annunciation House is a non-profit organization that sustains a network of shelters, facilities, and services for migrants in El Paso, Texas. When I applied to be a volunte...

"The present moment is an opportunity to reimagine the country’s response to refugees, to fashion policies that center human dignity, and to acknowledge our fundamental interconnectedness to one another. It is a moment to recognize that borders are places of possibility, not places of crisis." - Ruben Garcia, Letter from the Director (Read the Letter from the Director in our newsletter - via https://annunciationhouse.org/boletin-de-marzo-2023-march-2023-newsletter/).

"El momento presente es una oportunidad para reimaginar la respuesta del país a los refugiados, para diseñar políticas que se centren en la dignidad humana y para reconocer la interconexión fundamental que existe entre nosotros. Es el momento de reconocer que las fronteras son lugares de posibilidad, no lugares de crisis." (Lea la carta del Director en nuestro boletín https://annunciationhouse.org/boletin-de-marzo-2023-march-2023-newsletter/)

{Español abajo} We Must Not Turn Our Backs: Annunciation House Responds to the Deaths of 39 Migrants in Ciudad Juárez

Annunciation House grieves the loss of the 39 people who died at an immigration detention center in our neighboring city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, less than a mile from where we live and serve. We lament this needless loss of life, and in the strongest terms possible, demand: enough. People in migration cannot continue to die because of cruel and violent policies that solve nothing.

The 39 people who died at the detention center on the evening of March 27 came from throughout the Americas: many from Guatemala, and also Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador, Colombia, and Ecuador. Each person was beloved by their family and community; each had dreams, fears, histories, and hope. All of these were extinguished too soon by a system that continually devalues human life and diminishes the inherent dignity of every person.

Border policy has resulted in the loss of life for far too long, an abhorrent reality that has been steadily increasing in recent years. The 39 deaths at the detention center are a direct result of current policies in which asylum seekers are turned away or expelled by the United States and sent back to danger or death instead of being offered a safe haven. People sent back to Juárez and other border cities encounter overcrowded, unsafe conditions at best—and, more often, continued exposure to danger, exploitation, and violence. In both the U.S. and Mexico, immigrants and refugees are often treated as dangers to communities, and are then detained and denied freedom simply for seeking safety and a better life.

In the wake of this tragedy, words and lamentations alone are hollow. We must change the harsh policies that created the conditions for this disaster to occur, and reframe human migration in terms that center human life and uplift each person’s ability to flourish. The guards at the Juárez detention center literally turned their backs as people screamed for safety. As individuals and as a society, we must not turn our backs on anyone else.

Our statement is also available via https://annunciationhouse.org/we-must-not-turn-our-backs/.

No debemos dar la espalda: Casa Anunciación responde a la muerte de los 39 migrantes en Ciudad Juárez

Casa Anunciación llora la pérdida de las 39 persones quienes se murieron en el centro de detención de inmigración en Ciudad Juárez, nuestra ciudad vecina que queda menos de una milla de donde vivimos y donde les servimos. Lloramos esta pérdida innecesaria, y en los términos más enérgicos, exigimos ¡basta ya! La gente en migración no puede continuar muriendo de políticas crueles y violentes que no solucionan nada.

Las 39 personas quienes se murieron la noche del 27 de marzo vinieron de todas partes de las Américas: muchas de Guatemala, y también de Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador, Colombia y del Ecuador. Cada persona fue amada de su familia y de su comunidad; cada una de ellas tuvo sus sueños, sus miedos, sus historias y sus esperanzas. Todas fueron extinguidas demasiado pronto por un sistema que continuamente devalúa la vida humana y disminuye la dignidad inherente de cada persona.

La política de la frontera dio como resultado la pérdida de vida por demasiado tiempo, una realidad abominable que ha aumentado cada vez más en los últimos años. Las 39 muertes en el centro de detención son un resultado directo de las políticas actuales que prohíben la entrada de los solicitantes de asilo u los expulsan de los Estados Unidos para mandarlos a unos peligros o la muerte en vez de ofrecerles un refugio seguro. Mandan que la gente regrese a Juárez y otras ciudades en la frontera donde encuentra a lo mejor unas condiciones peligrosas y superpoblación. Y más frecuente hay más y más contacto con peligro, explotación y violencia. En los Estados Unidos y en México, les tratan a los inmigrantes y a los refugiados como si fueran peligros a sus comunidades. Los detienen y los niegan de su libertad solamente por buscar seguridad y una vida mejor.

Tras esta tragedia, unas palabras dichas y unos lamentos son falsos. Debemos cambiar las políticas duras que crearon las condiciones que causan este desastre, y debemos replantear la inmigración humana en términos que pongan la vida humana al centro y eleven la habilidad de cada persona tal que florezca. La guardia al centro de detención de Juárez les dio la espalda mientras la gente gritó por seguridad. Como individuos y como una sociedad, no debemos darle la espalda a ninguna otra.

(Español abajo) ✨Dear friends of Annunciation House,✨
These have been full and evolving years at our houses of hospitality in the borderlands. Our work is often-changing as we respond to the needs of the hour, and we frequently find ourselves deep in the work of hospitality.

In the midst of everything, we also make space for reflection–on our work, the ways it changes and also stays constant, and how we are each shaped by and called to it. This newsletter–revived after a nearly 20-year hiatus–is a way to share some of these reflections and updates with all of you: the people who make this work possible.

You’ll find in this newsletter a letter from Ruben Garcia, an update from each of our houses, and a snapshot of the current volunteer community. Learn about how Annunciation House has evolved to meet an emerging need at the border–the growing numbers of people who have been injured as a result of the border wall. Read a reflection from volunteers about their work. And tap into one–or more!--of the many ways to staying involved, from volunteering to donating to attending events to keeping up with border-related news–and more.

Thank you for being a part of this work, and for helping to build a world in which all are received with an abundant sense of welcome and justice.

Read our newsletter via https://annunciationhouse.org/boletin-de-marzo-2023-march-2023-newsletter/.

Queridos compañeros de la Casa Anunciación,

Han sido años plenos en nuestras casas de hospitalidad en la frontera. Nuestro trabajo cambia a medida que respondemos a las necesidades del momento, y con frecuencia nos encontramos inmersos en el trabajo de la hospitalidad para personas migrando.

En medio de todo, también hacemos espacio para la reflexión sobre nuestro trabajo, las formas en que cambia y también se mantiene constante, y cómo cada uno de nosotros somos moldeados y llamados a este trabajo. Nuestro boletín, revivido después de una pausa de casi 20 años, es una forma de compartir algunas de estas reflexiones y actualizaciones con todos ustedes: las personas que hacen posible este trabajo.

En este boletín encontrará una carta de Rubén García, una actualización de cada una de nuestras casas y una instantánea de la comunidad de voluntarios actual. Conozca cómo ha evolucionado Annunciation House para satisfacer una necesidad emergente en la frontera: el creciente número de personas que han resultado heridas por el muro fronterizo. Lea una reflexión de los voluntarios sobre su trabajo. Y aproveche una, ¡o más!, de las muchas formas de mantenerse involucrado, desde ofrecerse como voluntario hasta donar, asistir a eventos y mantenerse al día con las noticias relacionadas con la frontera, y más.

Encuéntralo aquí: https://annunciationhouse.org/boletin-de-marzo-2023-march-2023-newsletter/

Gracias por ser parte de este trabajo y por ayudar a construir un mundo en el que todos sean recibidos con abundante sentido de bienvenida y justicia.

Annunciation House honors the start our 45th year today. So many things have changed since 1978, but a commitment to radical hospitality remains at the heart of our work.

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of our history--we sure are grateful! We hope the next 45 years will be marked by a greater global trend toward a celebration and practice of welcome.

“You saw the damage afterward. People were crying because they separated families. It was a hard hit. It was emotional. It impacted people,” said a Colombian migrant. “We traveled for months to get here. We crossed the jungle in the Darien Gap. … We were detained time and time again in Mexico. And now we’re here only to be sent back again.”

Tensions rise, hope falls: Border Patrol detains migrants near Sacred Heart Without providing details, El Paso sector Border Patrol officials said they conduct actions under Department of Homeland Security policy without denying access to places of worship, emergency relief sites or other protected areas.

“'We were hoping for something else,' said Rosanni Rodríguez, a Venezuelan migrant, when told of the court decision (to continue expelling migrants under Title 42). ...'They won’t give us the opportunity to be able to cross legally. That’s what we wanted — to be able to cross legally — but you can’t.”

Migrants in El Paso face uncertainty after Supreme Court allows Title 42 to remain in effect amid legal challenges - KVIA By Leyla Santiago, Rosa Flores and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN The future for migrants waiting in El Paso, Texas, after crossing the US-Mexico border remains uncertain following the Supreme Court’s Wednesday decision that allows federal officials to continue expelling migrants before they have received a...

"The National Guard deployment at the border 'is a really negative symbol of our relationship and a frightening one for a lot of people on a very basic level,' said Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso. 'It’s reflective of a mistaken notion of what is happening here: We are not facing an invading army. We are facing people who have fled here seeking refuge.'"

Soldiers at the border: El Pasoans troubled by National Guard tactics El Paso asked for humanitarian help during the migrant crisis. Gov. Greg Abbott sent in armed troops.

So grateful to our community, near and far, for the outpouring of generosity, resources, and support. If you are looking for ways to be involved, check out this resource!

How to donate items, volunteer time for migrants in El Paso As immigration agents release migrants into Downtown El Paso, organizations are asking for volunteers and donations such as clothes and shoes. Here’s how to help.

Thousands of refugees have arrived to El Paso in recent days, including 1,500 who crossed on Sunday alone. Many people, faith communities, and organizations within El Paso are stepping up to meet the needs of the refugees who continue to arrive with a characteristic spirit of hospitality and welcome.

Please support our work standing alongside refugees in whatever ways you are able. They arrive hungry, cold, and tired after exhausting and often life-threatening journeys. We are particularly in need of volunteers to support our work at this moment of need and opportunity! Learn more: https://annunciationhouse.org/get-involved/volunteer-info/

Large migrant group crosses Rio Grande from Juárez into El Paso With El Paso government and nongovernmental facilities already beyond capacity, more than 1,500 migrants crossed from Juárez Sunday, many of them survivors of a harrowing journey.

Happy feast day of la Virgen de Guadalupe! May she guide and inspire us all in our work for justice and solidarity with those who have been marginalized.

This , consider offering your resources or time to support Annunciation House's work of hospitality on the border. We have welcomed thousands of refugees in recent weeks, and providing hospitality is only made possible by the support of our community.

To donate, visit: https://annunciationhouse.org/donate/
To volunteer, visit: https://annunciationhouse.org/get-involved/

After nearly three years, Title 42 will be halted beginning next month, a federal judge ruled.

“While nothing can undo the incredible violence that millions of refugees have endured at the hands of these cruel and misguided policies, we welcome the renewed opportunity for the United States to offer asylum to refugees and restore respect for the rule of law,” said Diana Kearney of Oxfam America.

US judge gives Biden administration five weeks to end Title 42 Judge earlier said ‘arbitrary and capricious’ border expulsion policy was unlawful in ruling welcomed by rights groups.

Happy birthday, Dorothy Day!

“What we would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world."

Happy Birthday Dorothy Day

“What we would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. We repeat, there is nothing we can do but love, and, dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as our friend.”
~Dorothy Day

Today let us remember the poor, the sick, the dying, the grieving, the unemployed, those unable to pay rent this week, the homeless, those persecuted simply because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, or nationality, the imprisoned, the refugee, and the immigrant. To dismiss the image of God in anyone is a complete denial of the incarnation

Icon: “Dorothy Day and The Holy Family of the Streets”

Prints and Digital Image: kellylatimoreicons.com

El Paso Giving Day has begun! You can support the vital work of Annunciation House with a donation via https://elpasogivingday.org/organizations/annunciation-house! We are excited to be among over 200 nonprofits that are supported during this annual fundraiser. We love our borderlands community!

Annunciation House - El Paso Giving Day | October 20, 2022 El Paso Giving Day is an online charitable giving campaign designed to shine a light on the essential work of nonprofit organizations and ignite the spirit of giving in our community.

“Rather than restore the right to asylum decimated by the Trump administration ... the Biden administration has dangerously embraced the failures of the past and expanded upon them by explicitly enabling expulsions of Venezuelan migrants."

Biden turning to Trump-era rule to expel Venezuelan migrants WASHINGTON (AP) — Two years ago, candidate Joe Biden loudly denounced President Donald Trump for immigration policies that inflicted “cruelty and exclusion at every turn,” including toward those fleeing the "brutal" government of socialist Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

In recent weeks, we have welcomed many refugees from Venezuela, who have frequently experienced extraordinary challenges that led to their decision to migrate. Additionally, the journey to the United States is incredibly long, difficult, and life-threatening--particularly in the Darien Gap.

"Their journeys — often poorly informed by videos ricocheting across social media — are producing brutal scenes in the Darién Gap, a 66-mile stretch of jungle terrain that connects South and Central America, a result of grinding, parallel crises unfolding to the north and south."

In Record Numbers, Venezuelans Risk a Deadly Trek to Reach the U.S. Border Two crises are converging at the perilous land bridge known as the Darién Gap: the economic and humanitarian disaster underway in South America, and the bitter fight over immigration policy in Washington.