Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Jan 14, 2008 / 01:10 am
Many Catholics and Catholic organizations are assisting migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexican border in their search for work, Reuters reports.
A Catholic-run shelter in Nuevo Laredo, just south of the border with Laredo, Texas, hosts dozens of Latin American migrants, providing them meals and rest before they attempt to cross into the United States by swimming the Rio Grande. At the shelter the migrants, some from as far away as Central America, replace worn-out clothing, heal their injuries, and telephone relatives for cash for their crossing.
Without the shelters, migrants would have to beg for food and would sleep in the streets or in the harsh conditions of the desert.
"I'm extremely grateful for this shelter, but even without it, I would still try to get across," said 19-year-old Guatemalan coffee picker Raul Mintis, who was staying at the Nazareth shelter.