There is a humanitarian crisis at the border between the United States and Mexico right now. Caravans of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have been undertaking the dangerous journey to the U.S. to flee unprecedented levels of violence in their home countries. I can no longer watch as immigrants suffer when I have the tools to help. In keeping with the phrase, “Practice what you preach,” I took action recently.
In April, 2019, I traveled to San Diego, California, to provide free legal representation to those involved in the humanitarian crisis at the United States/Mexico border. My trip was organized by HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. HIAS has a long-standing history of assisting immigrants involved in crises across the globe.
I volunteered for a week. During that time, I met with immigrants who were detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. I also attended court hearings in downtown San Diego to observe how the border crisis there is being handled by the court system. I even had the opportunity to work at a shelter that housed immigrant families who had just been released into the U.S.
It was a profoundly humbling experience that made me more passionate than ever about my work. My next eight blog posts will chronicle my daily experience in San Diego. I hope you find it informative and that it motivates you to help advocate for immigrants in the United States.