By Morgan Smith, Santa Fe
It may seem hard to believe, but a non-profit in a tiny Placitas, New Mexico ( pop. 4,500), just east of Albuquerque, has become the lifeblood of one of the only remaining migrant shelters in Juárez, Mexico, as well as other shelters and humanitarian programs along the Mexican border.
The Dignity Mission was founded by Jack and Cheryl Ferrell in 2019 as a way to improve the treatment of migrants attempting to seek asylum in our country. Jack is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former intelligence officer and Cheryl is a food service manager for Marriott.
In 2019, the two of them, together with a small group of volunteers, began preparing what they call dignity kits – one-gallon storage bags filled with toiletries and hygienic items – to be distributed to asylum seekers. Their project grew from 8 volunteers to 80, from 150 dignity kits a month to 1,000.
When we first met, they were loading a small truckload of items to take to El Paso, to then be distributed across the border. Last October 26, however, they took a box truck and a pickup to El Paso with three tons of donated supplies. It was their 45th trip.
This included 2,080 dignity kits, 241 Children’s kits ( these include small toys as well as hygienic items), 1,609 blankets, 1,545 pounds of beans, rice and lentils, 176 pounds of sugar and flour, 110 pints of pasta, as well as other food items.
Outer clothing included about 150 jackets, 90 pullovers and sweaters, and 66 pairs of underwear. Most of the winter clothing was gathered by the United Church of Loa Alamos and the All Saints Lutheran Church in Albuquerque.
Chris and Ralph Bowlin, also from Placitas, teamed up with them in 2019 and have been involved in every aspect of their work – collecting the blankets from a local linen company, loading and driving the big vans to El Paso, and making smaller Dignity Kits for children. Chris formerly worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Ralph in construction.
A key partner is Dr. Eva Moya, a professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). The Ferrells take their truckloads to Dr. Moya’s home and unload them in her garage. Then she and other local volunteers shuttle them across the border to the Respettrans migrant shelter, which is located close to the international bridge and easy to reach from Dr. Moya’s home. The only issue is the possibility of a hassle with the Mexican soldiers at the border crossing. I always make this crossing with my heart beating fast because I was stopped several years ago with a load of new shoes and eventually told to return to the US, a nerve-wracking experience.
Respettrans was founded by a nurse named Grecia Herrera and originally intended to be a shelter for transgender migrants. That project didn’t work out, so it has been open to all migrants for the past several years. What makes it special is that it is basically managed by the migrants themselves, since Grecia has a day job in a hospital. The migrants do the cooking and cleaning, maintain discipline and security and even have classes for the kids so that they will be better able to cope if and when they reach their US destination.
Not long ago, Respettrans was housing 200-300 migrants at a time. Other shelters like La Casa de Migrante in Juárez, Colores United in Deming, and the Tierra de Oro in Palomas were also full. Now, most migrant shelters are closed or operating with a much-reduced number. 30-45 at Respettrans, for example. The overall human needs in Juárez, however, haven’t changed. Meeting basic needs will always be an issue. That’s why these truckloads, as well as the financial donations Dignity Missions gathers, are essential.
That’s why Placitas and these extraordinary volunteers have become so critical.
Morgan Smith has been making monthly trips to the border for the last fifteen years to document conditions there and bring recognition to unique programs and individuals like the Dignity Mission and the Ferrrells and Bowlins. He can be reached at Morgan-smith@comcast.net.