BORDER ANGELS

Join us for the Caravan of Love! 🚗❤️

We’re on a mission to spread kindness and support Ejercito de Salvacion, a men’s immigrant shelter in Tijuana, and we need YOUR help! On Saturday, September 21st, we’re looking for 5 amazing volunteers to drive their cars and assist in distributing much-needed donations.

Requirements to participate:
Passport/SENTRI/Appropriate travel documents
Reliable transportation to drive into Tijuana and deliver donations
Signed volunteer waiver

You can sign up at bit.ly/SEP-LOVE . Volunteer spots are limited and on a first come first served basis. For any questions regarding this event please contact us at [email protected]

Can’t make it? No worries! You can still make a difference by donating directly on this post to help us reach our 500-dollar goal and purchase essential items for the shelter, be on the lookout for a wish list soon!

Let’s come together to make a meaningful impact—your support can light up someone’s day! ✨

Join us for the Caravan of Love! 🚗❤️

We’re on a mission to spread kindness and support Ejercito de Salvacion, a men’s immigrant shelter in Tijuana, and we need YOUR help! On Saturday, September 21st, we’re looking for 5 amazing volunteers to drive their cars and assist in distributing much-needed donations.

Requirements to participate:
Passport/SENTRI/Appropriate travel documents
Reliable transportation to drive into Tijuana and deliver donations
Signed volunteer waiver

You can sign up at bit.ly/SEP-LOVE or visit the link in bio. Volunteer spots are limited and on a first come first served basis. For any questions regarding this event please contact us at [email protected]

Can’t make it? No worries! You can still make a difference by donating directly on this post to help us purchase essential items for the shelter, be on the lookout for a wish list soon!

Let’s come together to make a meaningful impact—your support can light up someone’s day! ✨

Last week we had the pleasure of working alongside a group of 10 participants from Lutheran Retreats, Camps, & Conferences, and two additional volunteers in a Day Laborer Outreach as part of our Educational Programs!

The group traveled all the way from Minnesota to spend time learning more about the immigrant community in San Diego. One of their pastors had even taken part in a Water Drop six years ago. Together we distributed 75 packages containing, water, socks, fruits, deodorant, protein bars, electrolytes, and more.

This group took the initiative, and despite none of them speaking Spanish, spent time engaging with the laborers. They learned about the difficulties that laborers face; Beto, one of the laborers, explained how they watch out for each other, and the group was shocked to hear that even though they all want work, they are still a community. We also encountered one of the oldest laborers we have ever seen; he was 85. 

If your school/group/organization would like to participate on a Day Laborer Outreach or find out what other educational opportunities are available please email our educational programs coordinator at [email protected]. Join our mission of love!

🎉 Ready for a night of fun and giving back? 🎉 Join us at Mujeres Brewhouse on Saturday, August 31st at 5:00 PM for an unforgettable fundraiser for Border Angels! Enjoy ballet folklorico, mezcal tasting, and great company—all for a fantastic cause. 🎶🍹✨

Don’t miss out—get your tickets now at the link in bio and support a vital mission!

Meet our 130th Familias Reunidas bond fund recipient, Carlos. He is a 55-year-old Mexican asylum seeker who spent over a year inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center. We are excited to announce that thanks to your support, he has now been reunited with his wife and daughter.

This bond was referred to us by the Orange County Justice Fund and is one of the higher ones we have seen at $10,000. In fact, the OCJF, our organization, and Carlos’ family all had to collaborate in order to have enough funds to free Carlos.

If you would like to help others like Carlos you can donate through the link in bio, your donation goes towards freeing someone from detention! If your loved one is in the Otay Mesa, Adelanto, or Imperial Regional Detention Center and you need assistance paying for their bond, you can fill out an application on our website.

We want to give a huge thank you to Ken, a volunteer from Seattle, who visited us recently. Ken, an emergency room doctor, conducted “Stop the Bleeding” trainings during his visit. Currently touring San Diego, Tijuana, and Tucson to teach similar clinics, he imparted essential skills to our team on halting life-threatening bleeding and utilizing tourniquets. These abilities are invaluable for our Water Drop team, enabling us to administer crucial first-aid in desert emergencies.

If you have a skill, clinic, presentation etc. and would like to volunteer your time, please contact out Volunteer Coordinator Osvaldo Ruiz at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Our latest Volviendo a Casa recipient, Omar Antonio Gamez was born in a humble, low-income family in Sinaloa, Mexico. He migrated to Tijuana 12 years ago, met his partner Maria de Jesus, and had a daughter. Unfortunately, he lost his job last year at a company where he had planned to retire. Desperate to find a new source of income, he decided to migrate through the desert to cross to San Diego and work in El Cajon. Sadly, he lost his life in his attempt to cross. He was 58 years old.

His cause of death is still not yet confirmed as Omar was lost in the desert of Dulzura, CA, in February. His remains were recently discovered by Border Patrol, and the family was contacted. They then had to conduct a DNA test in order to identify him due to the condition in which the body was found. His partner, who is now a single mom of a seven-year-old, has a job that barely makes ends meet and cannot afford the expenses of the preparation and transportation of the body. Through our program, we were able to assist with his funeral expenses so that he may finally be laid to rest.

“This was our last picture together in January. I am deeply grateful to all of you because due to all of your work, we could return him home, after such a long process. Thank you so much.”
- Maria de Jesus, partner of Omar Antonio

This program is some of our toughest work emotionally as a team to take on, and we are so grateful for the dedication of our General Manager Dulce Aguirre, who spearheads this program. We admire her strength, respect, and care while handling each case and family.

Omar Antonio Gamez, May he Rest In Peace.

You can donate to this program through the link in bio.

Meet our latest Familias Reunidas bond fund recipient: Amadi. He is our first recipient from Guinea and our 129th recipient. Our Bond Program has helped people from 28 countries of origin. He is 26 years old and spent 2 months inside the Imperial Regional Detention Center. Amadi is excited to start his new life in Indianapolis.

If you would like to help others like Amadi you can donate through the link in bio, your donation goes towards freeing someone from detention! If your loved one is in the Otay Mesa, Adelanto, or Imperial Regional Detention Center and you need assistance paying for their bond, you can fill out an application on our website.

Help Us Light the World!

Starting today July 8th through Sunday July 14th we are fundraising for portable Solar Powered Chandler Chargers and Solar Luke Lights for our Buy One, Give One sale!

That means if you purchase the BOGO product on Unite to Light’s website, you will be donating one to our fundraiser AND you will receive one!

Our Water Drop team will use these solar chargers and lights for our life-saving work in the desert.

Help us by purchasing one through the link in bio! Remember that for every one you buy, we get one! Please share with your network. Together we can light the world!

Last Saturday was our Father’s Day Caravan of Love! We first visited Casa de Oracion del Migrante, a men’s shelter accommodating 45 individuals. Prior to that, we stopped at Movimiento Juventud 2000, which primarily houses families. There, we delivered new clothes and activity backpacks donated last week for the children at the shelter. We are deeply grateful for everyone who contributed gift card donations, enabling us to purchase exactly what Casa Oracion del Migrante urgently needed. A special thank you goes to Lia, a dedicated volunteer, who generously purchased a significant amount of donations out-of-pocket. Her kindness and generosity are truly inspiring!

Additionally, we extend our gratitude to Psicologos Sin Fronteras for their invaluable assistance in Tijuana, including organizing an activity for the men at the shelter. We also want to express our appreciation to Casa Oracion for warmly welcoming us and including us in their prayers.

Stay tuned for the next Caravan of Love, we will announce sign up links through social media and our newsletter soon!

Head to the link in bio to donate to our Shelter Aid program and wish list! For more information email [email protected]

Meet our latest Familias Reunidas bond fund recipient: Eduardo. He is from Mexico and our 128th recipient. He spent 6 months inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center and we were able to help free him before his 55th birthday.

Eduardo is from Zacatecas and had to leave his hometown as he was receiving death threats. He hopes to obtain an immigration status to start a new life in the United States. He thanks Border Angels for being the Angels he prayed for during his six months in detention prison.

If you would like to help others like Eduardo you can donate through the link in bio, your donation goes towards freeing someone from detention! If your loved one is in the Otay Mesa, Adelanto, or Imperial Regional Detention Center and you need assistance paying for their bond, you can fill out an application on our website.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce another one of our Volviendo a Casa recipients: Manuel Alejandro Gonzalez. He was born into a humble family in Queretaro, Mexico. Manuel was 32 years old, a loving partner, and father to two children, a 15-year-old and a 10-year-old. His dream was to work in the United States, with the goal of reaching Escondido, CA, and providing his family with a better quality of life. Unfortunately, he was lost in the desert where he passed away and was later found by Border Patrol.

We are grateful for the continued collaboration of the Mexican Consulate and our new partnership with Aztlan Mortuary. Working together, we were able to provide and pay for funeral expenses, documentation, and transportation to Mexico where Manuel’s family and friends could say their final goodbyes. We want to thank them not only for their partnership but for their care in assisting grieving migrant families.

Manuel Alejandro Gonzalez, May he Rest In Peace.

We continue to denounce the many policies at work at our southern border, which dehumanize our migrant siblings, causing entirely preventable deaths. We remain committed to providing humanitarian aid to those crossing in hopes of preventing more deaths.

You can donate to this program through the link in bio.

Our June Water Drop took place last Saturday and we left water, food bandanas and other supplies along desert routes and we also scouted for new drop sites. We want to shoutout our team which was made up almost entirely of returning volunteers! We cannot thank them enough for their commitment and life-saving work as the temperature in the desert hit 100 degrees this weekend, and will only continue to rise this summer. In addition, the Biden administration’s new executive order restricting asylum, will force migrants to cross through the desert’s deadly temperatures.

Our upcoming Water Drop sign-up links will be posted soon. For more information, you can email our coordinator at [email protected]. You can find both our wishlist and donate to our Water Drop program through the link in bio or story highlights.

Sigue adelante, (Keep going)
Border Angels

Meet Raul, another one of our Familias Reunidas bond fund recipients from Honduras. He is 41 years old and our 127th bond posted. He spent 3 months inside the Imperial Regional Detention Center. We want to thank Al Otro Lado once again for this referral.

Raul is an asylum seeker fleeing gangs from his home country. Raul will live with his sponsor and long-time family friend! Thanks to your help we were able to post his bond before his second MCH court! (A master calendar hearing (“MCH”) is a short, preliminary hearing on immigration matters—the usual start to efforts to remove an immigrant from the United States)

If you would like to help others like Raul you can donate through the link in bio, your donation goes towards freeing someone from detention! If your loved one is in the Otay Mesa, Adelanto, or Imperial Regional Detention Center and you need assistance paying for their bond, you can fill out an application on our website.

The Biden administration plans to immediately invoke an authority to shut off access to asylum for migrants who cross the US-Mexico border illegally, senior officials said Tuesday, a significant attempt by President Joe Biden to address head on one of his biggest political vulnerabilities.

Biden is expected to unveil the sweeping executive action later Tuesday, attempting to use executive action to affect the situation on the border after a bipartisan measure failed earlier this year. The action marks the administration’s most dramatic move on the US southern border as Biden tries to gain the upper hand on immigration just weeks from the first presidential debate – by using the same authority former President Donald Trump tried to use in office.

The authority will go into effect later on Tuesday, according to a senior administration official.

The new executive action bars migrants who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum – a departure from decades-long protocol – once a daily threshold is met. Unless they meet certain exemptions, migrants will be turned away to Mexico or returned to their origin country.

Read full article at the link in stories

Source-CNN: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/06/04/politics/immigration-biden-border-authority

This month we hosted a Day Laborer Outreach with Serve Boldly as part of our Educational Program. Thank you to Sara Jonasen, the Director of Serve Boldly, a ministry of Green Lake Lutheran Ministries in Spicer, MN. Serve Boldly has operated for over a decade and provides youth with the opportunity to accompany and serve their neighbor.

We had 10 participants including their Pastor Evan. Together we provided 50 care packages including water bottles, Gatorade, fruit snacks, apples/bananas/oranges, chips, and granola bars. Most of them were younger college students and they spent a week in San Diego and Tijuana to learn more and engage with the migrant community.

The group was eager to engage with the laborers and took the time to converse with them, even if most participants didn’t speak excellent Spanish. It was great to see the care they took to treat the laborers as people and learn about their stories.

If your school/group/organization would like to join us or find out what other educational opportunities are available please email our coordinator at [email protected] today.

We’re looking for volunteers for the Father’s Day Caravan of Love on Saturday, June 22nd.

This event requires volunteers to drive and cross over into Tijuana to help deliver necessities and moral support to migrant shelters in need. Help spread the love to migrant families and children.

Requirements to participate:
Passport/SENTRI/Appropriate travel documents
Donations for shelter (list on 2nd and 3rd slide)
Reliable transportation to drive into Tijuana and deliver donations
Signed volunteer waiver

You can sign up at bit.ly/LOVE-JUNE or visit the link in bio. Volunteer spots are limited and on a first come first served basis. For any questions regarding this event please contact us at [email protected]

If you can’t join us but would like to support residents in Tijuana, you can donate through our wish list and Venmo QR codes or the link in bio!

We can’t wait to see you!

Border Angels Statement in Support of Senators’–Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)–Call Upon the Biden Administration to Immediately Close For-Profit ICE Detention Centers

As a non-profit organization committed to the humane treatment of migrants seeking a better life in the United States, it is incumbent upon Border Angels to call attention and demand action when the United States fails to act in a manner inconsistent with the nation’s values and at the expense of migrants.

It has been widely reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs and Enforcement are currently operating at least 110 detention camps run by for-profit private companies. Further, it has been reported by independent watchdogs that among those detention centers, in at least four of them, the inhumane conditions have directly resulted in the development of longterm medical conditions, psychological trauma and the death of detainees, stemming from sleep deprivation, overcrowding, dirty drinking water, lack of access to functioning showers and even a lack of adequate food.

To that end, Border Angels wishes to express its unequivocal support for the aforementioned Senators’ recent letter to D.H.S. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and I.C.E. Director Patrick Lechleitner calling for an end to all detention centers being operated by for-profit private companies who are profiting off the suffering and desperation of migrants in search of an opportunity for a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Sincerely,

Luis O. Osuna
Border Angels, President

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/senators-shut-down-ice-detention-centers_n_6644d192e4b00df0c6b6b41a

Our upcoming Caravan of Love is Saturday May 25th, and we need your help gathering donations for Tijuana Shelters!❤️ Donating is easy, you can do so through our Amazon wishlist, Venmo, or by dropping off donations to our office.

Swipe through or visit the link in bio now!

This past weekend we headed into the desert once more for our May Water Drop. Our team and volunteers were not only able to drop gallons of water and care packages with food, hats, emergency tents, and other life-saving supplies in the desert but were also able to stop by and deliver donations to the Open Air Detention Camps in Jacumba.

We are so grateful to all of you who have stopped by our office and donated to our wishlist. We are still in dire need of all items previously posted and will continue to collect donations. We have been working alongside the Schultz family from Jacumba, who is actively collecting and storing donations at the Smith Youth Center, will be picking up all items shipped to us going forward, and distributing them to the camps.

Our upcoming Water Drop sign-up links will be posted soon. For more information, you can email our coordinator at [email protected]. You can find both our wishlist and donate to our Water Drop program through the link in bio or story highlights.

Buena Suerte, (Good Luck)
Border Angels

We are so incredibly grateful to our donors for helping us fundraise 900 dollars to get gifts to the children of Templo Embajadores de Jesus shelter to celebrate Dia del Niño. Thanks to those combined efforts, the hundreds of migrant children were able to just be kids, and enjoy a party filled with cake, piñatas, characters and plenty of toys to go around!

Our Shelter Aid program provides funds to support over a dozen shelters in Tijuana, with rent, utilities, food, and parties like this one.

If you would like to participate in our next Caravan of Love to distribute donations to Tijuana shelters, or id you would like to donate to our Shelter Aid program you can visit the link in bio.

We are deeply saddened to share the story of Ivan Maqueda Maqueda, our third Volviendo a Casa recipient this year. Heartbreakingly, Baltazar Maqueda, the uncle of the deceased migrant, filled out the form to request support for the tragedy of his nephew as his parents are in total denial and do not accept that their son passed away in the desert due to dehydration. Ivan decided to migrate to the U.S looking for the American Dream. He wanted to better his quality of life and help his parents financially. Unfortunately, he passed away in the desert on his migration journey. Border Patrol found the remains of Ivan months after he was reported missing and they had to conduct DNA testing with his parents to identify him. He was only 25 years old. We cannot imagine his parent’s pain.

The Consulate of Mexico in San Diego reached out to us for support in this case and we were able to support with paying the full amount. We are thankful to Funeraria Altar for working with us in providing affordable prices for these cases.

Ivan Maqueda Maqueda, May he Rest In Peace.

We continue to denounce the many policies at work at our southern border, which dehumanize our migrant siblings, causing entirely preventable deaths. We remain committed to providing humanitarian aid to those crossing in hopes of preventing more deaths.

You can donate to this program through the link in bio.

DONATIONS NEEDED: Migrant families and refugees continue to be held in open-air detention sites in Jacumba and East Count San Diego by Border Patrol. They are without food, water, or medical attention. We joined mutual aid groups and various volunteers this past weekend to deliver food and supplies, but we need YOUR help.

You can visit bit.ly/OADSWSHLST or the link in bio to purchase items from our Amazon Wish list. Items will be delivered directly to our office, and our team will be back out this upcoming weekend. To ensure items get delivered, we urge you to donate items by this Wednesday. Alternatively, swipe to look at our donation list and drop off at our office at 2258 Island Ave. San Diego, CA 92102 Monday-Friday from 9AM-3PM.

You can email us at [email protected] or call us at 619-487-0249 for any questions.

We are excited to partner with Applebee’s Bar and Grill’s Dining to Donate program to celebrate International Day of Families!

Visit the Chula Vista location at 610 Palomar St. Ste. 1502 on Thursday, May 15th anytime from 11AM-Close, and present this flyer to donate 15% of your check to Border Angels.

By simply enjoying a meal at Applebee’s, you’ll be making a meaningful contribution to Border Angels and the vital work in supporting migrant communities. Every donation counts, and your support will make a real difference in the lives of those in need.

We encourage you to spread the word and bring along friends, family, and colleagues to make this event a tremendous success. Together, we can create positive change and support our migrant siblings.

This offer is valid on Dine-In and To-Go orders only.

We’re looking for volunteers for the Mother’s Day Caravan of Love on Saturday, May 25th.

This event requires volunteers to drive and cross over into Tijuana to help deliver necessities and moral support to migrant shelters in need. Help spread the love to migrant families and children.

Requirements to participate:
Passport/SENTRI/Appropriate travel documents
Donations for shelter (list on 2nd and 3rd slide)
Reliable transportation to drive into Tijuana and deliver donations
Signed volunteer waiver

You can sign up at bit.ly/LOVE-MAY or visit the link in bio. Volunteer spots are limited and on a first come first served basis. For any questions regarding this event please contact us at [email protected]

If you can’t join us but would like to support residents in Tijuana, you can donate through our wish list and Venmo QR codes or the link in bio!

We can’t wait to see you!

Our Caravan of Love returned and visited Volviendo a la Patria, a men’s shelter which houses about 40 residents. Along with our volunteers, we drove over caravan style into Tijuana where we delivered food, hygiene items as well as blankets, and clothing. We even received a video of the dinner they prepared the next day with all of the donations provided!

Stay tuned for the next Caravan of Love for the month of September, we will announce sign up links through social media and our newsletter at the beginning of the month.

Swipe to donate to our Shelter Aid program through venmo or visit the link in bio. For more information email [email protected]

This month we hosted El Camino College, specifically the Social Justice Center for an Educational Trip. 20 students joined our water drop and helped us drop over a dozen gallons and 20 care packages in the desert. The group was so engaged and it was an emotional moment when one of the students shared he had crossed as a kid, and for him, it was a full circle to be able to leave life-saving supplies for other migrants who are still crossing. We also had several students who mentioned they were doing this for their parents who crossed. It was eye-opening for them to realize just how difficult it is to journey through the desert.

This group also joined us for a Day Laborer Outreach, in which they helped distribute 70 packages made up of water/Gatorades, socks, deodorant, chips, oranges, and Know Your Rights Cards. Since these students were looking forward to seeing how they could support communities near them, they didn’t hesitate to engage in conversation with the laborers and listened to their stories. This helped them learn about what experiences they had making the journey here and how many of them are still supporting their families back in their respective countries of origin. 

Thank you El Camino College for being such a wonderful group!

If your school/group/organization would like to join us or find out what other educational opportunities are available please email our coordinator at [email protected] today.

Sign-up now for our May Water Drop! This volunteer event will take place Saturday, May 11th. Join us as we drop off water and other life-saving items in the desert.

More details about the event will be provided once you are selected to join. This event is on a first-come, first-serve basis as we limit our events based on the need for the drops. Filling out this form does not guarantee a spot.

We hope to see you there!❤️💧

Visit the link in bio or bit.ly/AGUA-MAY to sign up. For any questions or more info email [email protected] or call the office at 619-487-0249.

Thanks to the volunteers who joined us this past Saturday we had our April Water Drop. We had 18 participants join us, including four media members all the way from Germany. Our team split up into three groups, and together we were able to drop 20+ gallons of water and care packages with food, hats, emergency tents and other life-saving supplies in the desert.

We found consumed water and canned food, which confirms to us that migrants are crossing through the paths we are dropping supplies at. We remain vigilant to all activity in the desert and hope to help as many people as possible.

Our upcoming Water Drop sign up links will be posted soon. For more information, you can email our coordinator at [email protected].

Con cuidado (Be careful)
Border Angels