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Palomas 2020/2021/2022 In May 2019 our UU congregation began supporting the Deming NM shelter for asylum seekers on their way to sponsors. We were a collection site for our county. With those donations we packed food travel bags (GoBags) as well as sent clothing, medical supplies and food for the shelter. All of that ceased in fall 2019 when the border was “shut,” and the Remain in Mexico (MPP) was strictly enforced. The shelter for asylum seekers in Palomas, Tierra de Oro, held a relatively stable number of guests waiting and waiting and waiting… and we transferred our support to them. In June 2020 Border Patrol started expelling dozens of Title 42 migrants (preventing anyone from entering the US due to COVID 19) daily and mostly at night into Palomas. These guests at the shelter may only stay 1 or 2 days but most are in dire need of food, sleep and first aid before they decide where to go next. And because of the pandemic they had to be kept separate from the asylum seekers. At our UU building we continue to have a biweekly collection of supplies for the shelter. These supplies are transported to Deming, NM and then sent across the border by officially sanctioned individuals. In February 2021 we began to pack GoBags again for the migrants subject to Title 42. We pack at least 250 bags a week as well as continue to provide for the asylum seekers at Tierra de Oro in Palomas. The fire station in Palomas has also opened to T42 migrants. What we are able to do is dependent on donations from our wider community, both locally and nationally. As of early 2022, the Deming shelter has opened again for asylum seekers heading to sponsors in the US. Our role will continue evolve as border policies evolve. You can read below the last three weekly posts with updated information on Palomas and Deming, as well as the current needs for the migrants and asylees. If you would like to personally receive these posts, contact Barbara Gabioud at bgabioud@gmail.com. Note:
Driven by the hope for a better future, many migrants who are being
expelled
from the US will continue to try to re-enter, regardless of the dangers
and
hardships they face.
5/25/2022 #$@%^&^%#&
I’m sure you recognize code for my reaction to the latest
court ruling on
Title 42. And I won’t say anything about Uvalde, Texas. But if you
follow
Heather Cox Richardson, she wrote a very solid piece last night in
support of
gun control. Now breathe… Here
are a few tidbits from Border Report on Monday *
Friday’s ruling on title 42 is a
political decision
that violates the rights of individuals seeking refuge and will send
people
straight to criminal organizations that will put their lives in danger. * Title
42 is not applied evenly across nationalities.
For example, Mexico agrees to take back migrants only from Honduras,
Guatemala,
El Salvador and Mexico. For other nationalities, however, high costs,
poor
diplomatic relations and other considerations make it difficult for the
U.S. to
fly migrants to their home countries under Title 42. Instead, they are
typically freed in the U.S. to seek asylum or other forms of legal
status.
Cubans, Colombians and Venezuelans wade through waist-deep
water, step
into Border Patrol vehicles, and are soon released in the United States
to
pursue their immigration cases. In fact, Cubans were stopped
more than
35,000 times in April, and only 451, or barely 1%, were processed under
Title
42. *But
on the bright side, the
City of El Paso on Monday passed
an emergency ordinance committing public resources to migrant
humanitarian
relief efforts. The move allows the city manager to
temporarily assign
municipal employees to migrant shelters that are critically low on
volunteers
in the middle of a migrant surge. When will we
see Deming do the same to support Colores United as they did in 2019. In
Deming, Charlie Cat’s Diner (see photo below from Morgan Smith) has
opened for
take-out and delivery. Menu photo also. Dine-in follows next month.
100% of the
profits support Colores United! Here’s their website charliecats.org or
on
Facebook, Charlie Cat’s Diner. Our
next collection day is
Wednesday, June 1st, from 3:00-3:30. Below
is our ongoing comprehensive list of
needs for both Palomas and Deming. The items that
are currently most
needed are in RED
(and they change weekly). NO MORE PLASTIC GROCERY SACKS Baby
supplies
include: DIAPERS, BABY WIPES, DIAPER CREAM, FORMULA (
SMALL CANS)
SIMILAC or NIDO, BABY BOTTLES, BABY/KID CLOTHES NB
TO SIZE 4,
BABY/KID SHOES UP TO SIZE 4  
5/11/2022 First
of all, thanks to everyone who volunteered to help pack GoBags. It’s an
ongoing
weekly project. We also have a few more We Believe yard signs ($10)
available
on our collection days. This
past weekend was Mother’s Day, a holiday I will always remember as the
catalyst
for our border project. Below, in PURPLE, is
the original email we received from Thelma Moore (middle picture), via
her
daughter Joyce Jaime, 3 years ago. We’re all a little more organized
now, but
if you read it, the needs and the people haven’t changed much. And
Thelma’s
granddaughter, Ariana (to the left of Thelma), is still our go-to
organizer.
All three of these women have been wonderful mothers yet found it in
their
nature to care for so many others. And
for anyone who is a WILL member, there will be a class offered on June
6th
about the history of our border project. I’m sure there will be new
information, given that the supposed end date of Title 42 is May 23rd.
There
will be plenty of time for discussion and questions. Sign-ups start
next week. Our
next collection day is Wednesday, May 18th, from
3:00-3:30. Below
is our ongoing comprehensive list of needs for both Palomas and Deming.
The
items that are currently most needed are in RED
(and they change weekly). If you have connections to any
motels or
hotels, we have had good luck in the past getting extra personal
hygiene
supplies. NO
MORE PLASTIC GROCERY SACKS Medical
needs: COUGH DROPS, ALLERGY AND COLD
MEDICINES, TYLENOL FOR CHILDREN,
IBUPROFEN, VITAMINS FOR ADULTS AND KIDS, EAR DROPS. Personal
hygiene supplies: FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS, RAZORS,
DEODORANTS, BODY LOTION FOR DRY SKIN, FLIP-FLOPS for
showers, VASELINE/LIP
BALM, small SOAPS,
SHAMPOO, TOOTHBRUSHES and TOOTHPASTES. Baby
supplies
include: DIAPERS, BABY WIPES, DIAPER CREAM, FORMULA (
SMALL CANS)
SIMILAC or NIDO, BABY BOTTLES, BABY/KID CLOTHES NB
TO SIZE 4,
BABY/KID SHOES UP TO SIZE 4 We
pack 250 GoBags of food each week for Palomas and Deming that
include: CRACKER
PACKS, 16
OZ BOTTLES OF WATER, WELCH’S FRUIT
SNACKS, GRANOLA/BREAKFAST
BARS, and small cans of VIENNA
SAUSAGES. We
also send INDIVIDUAL
PACKETS OF ELECTROLYTES (Propel on
Amazon and Walmart). New
or gently used clothing for women, men and children: SHORTS (all sizes ) JACKETS,
GLOVES AND HATS;
JEANS, SWEATSHIRTS, SWEATPANTS AND ATHLETIC
SHOES IN SIZES 7-8-9-10 FOR MEN AND WOMEN. SPORTS
BRAS and 40”
SHOELACES. NEW
UNDERWEAR in all sizes for MEN,
WOMEN AND CHILDREN. We
collect donations on the first and third Wednesdays of each
month, 3:00-3:30, at the UUFSC building, 3845 N Swan (not our
mailing
address) in Silver City. You can drive straight down on
either side of
our collection vehicles. We will get you unloaded and then you
can drive
out easily. If you are bringing any of the above GoBag items, please
let the
crew unloading your car know about them. If
you would like to read my last 3 posts they are available on our UU
website uufsc.com. It
might give you ideas of other needed supplies. Click on the
Palomas/Deming 2022
link on the left side of the page. Or you can dig deeper on
our
fellowship’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UUFSC all
the way back to May 2019 when our project started. To
contribute financially you may mail checks made out to
UUFSC (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City) with Border
in the memo line to UUFSC, PO Box 4034, Silver City,
NM 88062. Thank
you everyone! ~Barbara 5-14-2019
email Urgent
Need for Help & Greetings from your Deming UU
Friends If
you've been following the news you will know that the
Border Patrol has been dropping newly arrived asylum seekers in Deming.
Last
night's influx was 35 individuals dropped at McDonald's, and 85 from
Lordsburg
dropped off at the fairgrounds. We've been feeding about 100 new
arrivals each
day. They all seem to have the paperwork necessary to make their way to
sponsors across the country but their immediate needs are great. Clothing/shoes
- All sizes but mostly petite women and sm/med
men. Children included - all sizes and shoes all sizes up to about
men's 8/9.   
4/27/2022 In
my last email, I mentioned the shenanigans of Greg Abbott, the governor
of
Texas. He held up commercial traffic at the
border this month, "allegedly to root out immigrants crossing the
border
illegally." His “enhanced” truck inspections didn’t catch a single
unauthorized migrant, or an ounce of drugs!!! The slowdowns did,
however, cost his state’s
consumers and businesses roughly $4.2
billion, according to an estimate from
a Texas-based economic analysis group, including through spoiled
produce. I guess that’s a small price to pay for
the political
spotlight he gains. Luckily, his inspections were shut down. AND…T42,
T42, T42…At this point, this farce of a public health
order is nothing more than a discriminatory mandate against black and
brown
migrants. It’s a “border control measure masquerading as
public health
policy.” Enough
ranting… and onto more local and uplifting news. The
Colores United shelter in Deming is inclusively referring to all their
guests
as “primos” (cousins) which is such a warm, welcoming moniker.
If you
visit you will see that in action. The photos below show many of our
primos
last week who were moving through Deming. And
here’s an opportunity
to volunteer…we
could use a few more people willing to help pack our GoBags on Mondays
10-11 at
the UU Fellowship building. We need a large enough pool of people so
it’s not
an every week commitment. Please reply to this email if you can help. Our
next collection day is Wednesday, May 4th, from
3:00-3:30. Below
is our ongoing comprehensive list of needs for both Palomas and Deming.
The
items that are currently most needed are in RED.
If you have connections to any motels or hotels, we have had good luck
in the
past getting extra personal hygiene supplies. Medical
needs: COUGH DROPS, ALLERGY AND COLD
MEDICINES, TYLENOL FOR CHILDREN,
IBUPROFEN, VITAMINS FOR ADULTS AND KIDS, EAR DROPS. Personal
hygiene supplies: FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS, RAZORS,
DEODORANTS, BODY LOTION FOR DRY SKIN, FLIP-FLOPS for
showers, VASELINE/LIP
BALM, small SOAPS,
SHAMPOO, TOOTHBRUSHES and TOOTHPASTES. Baby
supplies
include: DIAPERS, BABY WIPES, DIAPER CREAM, FORMULA (
SMALL CANS)
SIMILAC or NIDO, BABY BOTTLES, BABY/KID CLOTHES NB
TO SIZE 4,
BABY/KID SHOES UP TO SIZE 4 We
pack 250 GoBags of food each week for Palomas and Deming that
include: CRACKER
PACKS, 16 OZ
BOTTLES OF WATER, WELCH’S FRUIT SNACKS, GRANOLA/BREAKFAST
BARS, and small cans of VIENNA
SAUSAGES. We
also send INDIVIDUAL
PACKETS OF ELECTROLYTES (Amazon
and Walmart). New
or gently used clothing for women, men and children: SHORTS (all sizes) JACKETS,
GLOVES AND HATS;
JEANS, SWEATSHIRTS, SWEATPANTS AND ATHLETIC SHOES
IN SIZES 7-8-9-10 FOR MEN AND WOMEN. SPORTS BRAS
and 40”
SHOELACES. NEW
UNDERWEAR in all sizes for MEN,
WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Additional
Supplies: Once again we need PLASTIC SHOPPING SACKS which I’m sure are
lurking
in your cupboards. CUP-OF-NOODLES, BLANKETS OF ALL
SIZES, BACKPACKS
and DUFFEL BAGS for
travel, CLOROX, LYSOL/FABULOSA for
cleaning, and TOILET PAPER. If you have OLD SMART
PHONES, there are
many people who can use them. Be sure all your accounts are
closed and
wipe them as clean as possible of data/photos. The travelers need to be
in
contact with their sponsors in this country as well as tay in touch
with
agencies regarding court hearings, resources, etc. We
collect donations
on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 3:00-3:30, at
the UUFSC
building, 3845 N Swan (not our mailing address) in Silver City.
You can
drive straight down on either side of our collection vehicles. We will
get you
unloaded and then you can drive out easily. If you are
bringing any of the
above GoBag items, please let the crew unloading your car know about
them. If
you would like to read my last 3 posts they are
available on our UU website uufsc.com. It
might give you ideas of other needed
supplies. Click on the Palomas/Deming 2022 link on the left side of the
page. Or you can dig deeper on our fellowship’s facebook page htt  
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Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City - 2012
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