When Paul*, a generous supporter of JRS/USA, turned 60, he wanted to make a change. He had enjoyed his lifelong career but wanted to do something ‘more,’ so he went back to school for a master’s degree in social work, focused on working with migrants and refugees. There he learned about JRS and began to participate in JRS’ Advocacy Days. He also gained work experience in immigration law, so he could become an “accredited representative” – a non-attorney approved to represent low-income immigrants appearing before U.S. immigration courts.

This past summer, Paul visited the JRS team in El Paso, Texas, to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences faced by migrants arriving there. During a memorable visit to a shelter with Legal Services Specialist Fr. Michael Gallagher, S.J., and Mental Health Clinician Daniela Lagunes, Paul watched as migrant families crowded around.

“It was powerful, how many people needed help,” Paul recalled, describing it as an experience he will never forget. Throughout Fr. Gallagher’s presentation, a few people asked questions, and Paul noticed that many more seemed overwhelmed by the information. Once Daniela began her session, however, people began to open up.

Daniela works within Caminar Contigo, JRS/USA’s program at the US-Mexico border that includes mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), legal services, pastoral care, and the Migrant Accompaniment Network, which connects migrants with volunteers in the interior of the US. During this session, she invited people to share their experiences, the dangers they encountered while traveling to the border, and the pain of losing someone.

Paul noticed that this mental health session not only helped these families process their experiences, but gave them a safe space to gain clarity on their legal situation, moving beyond survival mode to planning a path forward. “They asked questions they would not have thought to otherwise,” Paul explains. “This psychological first aid approach that JRS conducts is so important… [it meets] the specific needs of each individual and is informative enough to help them on the next steps of their migration journeys.”

On his final day in El Paso, Paul crossed the border to visit the JRS Mexico team in Ciudad Juárez, seeing the very paths that some of his clients have walked. The team explained to Paul that migrants face unimaginable risk not only attempting to cross the border, but also from kidnappers on the Mexican side.

“Standing [at the border]” Paul said, “I could envision just how terrifying this journey is. Looking across the border to see a larger wall, barbed wire, and pick-up trucks waiting, you can feel the danger on both sides…. Now, when I work with my clients, I have a greater appreciation for what they have been through.”

To learn more about how Caminar Contigo serves asylum seekers, read more here.

*Name changed for privacy