Amid the resurgence of immigration policies in the United States, the Catholic Church has identified transformations in human mobility flows in the region. In this context, the bishops of Mexico and Guatemala renewed their commitment to migrants and alerted the serious risks they face.
From June 2 to 5, the Mexican-Guatemala Bishop Meeting was held in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, which brought together prelates from both countries, hostel directors, diocesan responsible and representatives of the pastoral of human mobility.
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Among the participants was Mons. Eugenio Lira Rugarcía, Bishop of Matamoros-Reynosa and responsible for the Human Mobility Pastoral of the Mexican Episcopate Conference (CEM), who explained to ACI Press that “the phenomenon (migratory) has changed.”
He explained that in recent years they have paid attention to an emerging phenomenon: “now there is a ‘migration in reverse’, since many migrants are returning to their countries or have been deported, both from North America and from Mexico.”
According to the Mexican bishop, “they stand out for this ‘Reverse Migration’ Venezuela (70%), El Salvador (68%), Colombia and Ecuador (58%), Peru (44%), Guatemala and Nicaragua (41%), Honduras (25%) and Cuba (7%)”.
On the other hand, he mentioned a decrease in the number of people received in the shelters of the Catholic Church, where “they previously received up to 500 people, they now receive an average of 30 or 40, but only for a few hours, since migrants want to follow their way as quickly as possible.”
Another point that, according to Mons. Lira Rugarcía, generates concern in the Catholic Church is the situation of children traveling alone and families who “face dangers for geographical and climatic difficulties; insufficiency of resources; deception, abuse and abandonment of ‘polleros’; abuse and extortion by some authorities; robberies and physical, emotional and sexual abuse.”
Criticisms of United States Migration Policies
During his second term, US President Donald Trump has resumed and hardened various restrictive immigration policies.
At the end of the meeting, bishops of border gathered They issued a statement On June 5, in which they condemned the “xenophobic and criminalizing policies of the Northern Governments.”
These policies, they said, “despise and put in greater risks the migrants and applicants for the condition of refuge, the inhuman raids and the atrocious of the deportations sharpen the crises that our manipulated, stripped, increasingly impoverished and violated peoples experience by the territorial and borders control that maintains organized crime.”
Church’s response
For years, the dioceses located in border areas have had an essential role in the attention and accompaniment of migrants. Mons. Lira Rugarcía stressed that these communities have had “a great role in favor of migrants.” In addition to offering lodging and basic assistance in migrant shelters, they have “started doing other tasks.”
He exemplified that in Tapachula, a border city with Guatemala, new forms of pastoral care have been developed. Mons. Lira Rugarcía said that some priests have put their parishes as “Samaritan Corridor” to provide support to migrants in transit.
He also said that actions have been promoted to address the structural causes of migration through “evangelization, dissemination of values, the construction of peace and the promotion of local work”, including the formation of small communities dedicated to agriculture and animal breeding.
Despite the challenges, the bishop assured that the Catholic Church, especially on the border, reaffirms its commitment “to continue offering lodging and helps migrants, as they have been doing for many years; being the voice of those who do not have it, and continue defending their rights”, among others.
Mons. Lira Rugarcía concluded by stating that they will continue “attentive to the situations that are presented to respond in a creative and timely way.”
Diego López Colín
I am a graduate of journalism at the Carlos Septién García school with experience of religious institutional communication. Since 2016 I write for digital media and, since 2018, I report the most important news about the Catholic event in Mexico for the Ewtn news channel. ACI Press correspondent in Mexico since 2023.