Thousands of migrants cross illegally into the United States through the southern border, seeking refuge and asylum. But, after they’re processed by border patrol, the U.S. government relies on non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, to take on the job of housing, feeding, and transporting the migrants — a humanitarian crisis that seems to have no end in sight.
“I don’t think there was any expectation that it would scale up to the level that it has,” said Teresa Cavendish, Chief Operating Officer at the Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona, an NGO that has been helping care for the needs of migrants who cross the border.
Casa Alitas, an agency associated with the Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona, started helping migrants and refugees in 2014 when border patrol was dropping off asylum seekers at Greyhound bus stations with nowhere to go. In that first year, the organization helped just under 2,000 migrants.
“In 2023, we served almost 238,000 compared to that first year,” Elena Dwyre, CEO at the Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona told ABC15. “So, you know, we are making sure that individuals are treated not only with the dignity and respect that they need, but we need to keep them safe. They come to us without any clothing… without food, without medicine, so we have partnered with the community to make sure that they receive the care that they need, so they can safely go to their families and friends across the country.”