Supporting Asylum-Seekers in Albuquerque

At the beginning of 2019, the Diocese of El Paso and Annunciation House, asked for help with the overflow of asylum seekers arriving at the border. These individuals have been released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and have official "temporary asylum status." Their next step is to reach their sponsoring family and wait for their scheduled hearing date. With the help of many collaborators, Catholic Charities was able to lead the effort to triage immigrant families and help them on their way to their final destination. Catholic Charities and other local organizations have created a sustained process to provide hospitality to these migrant families with the help of supporting agencies and volunteers.

Today, the Companions on the Journey project has provided respite to over 1,000 refugee arrivals. On average, these immigrant guests stay for 24-72 hours before traveling to sponsoring families elsewhere in the U.S. We provide them with a place to stay for the night, food, clothing, hygiene items, cellphone access with a phone card, assistance with arranging travel to their sponsoring families, and transportation to their departing bus station or airport.

Due to the changes at the border, we are not hosting asylum seekers at this time. If the situation changes, we will post updates on this page. Volunteers and donation efforts are currently on hold. (July 16,2019)

HOW TO BECOME A COMPANION ON THE JOURNEY

This wouldn't be possible without the overwhelming response we've received from the community. So many have come out to join us in being Companions on the Journey by providing generous donations of time, talents, and treasures!

Donate to the Asylum-Seekers ABQ Assistance Fund

​Thank you for supporting our brothers and sisters as they make their way through our city! Through this fund, Catholic Charities is collecting money to support asylum-seeker support efforts by several nonprofit organizations throughout Albuquerque.  
To make a secure donation online, click the button below:

​OR if using our main donation page (link at the top of the page), please check the box indicating "I would like to designate my gift to a specific program or appeal" and select "Asylum Seeker Assistance" from the drop-down menu.
Mail checks or money orders to: 
Catholic Charities
ATTN: Companions on the Journey
2010 Bridge Blvd. SW
​Albuquerque, NM 87105

Please make checks or money orders out to "Catholic Charities" and ensure that a reference to "Companions," "Asylees," or "Asylum Seekers" is on the envelope, memo line, or an enclosed note. 


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​OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
(click to expand)

Drop-Off In-Kind Donations
As of 07/16/19, the community drop-off center will stop receiving in-kind donations for asylum seekers!  Volunteers are always welcomed and appreciated to help sort the donated items Tuesday - Thursday 9-4. We are still experiencing a stop in buses arriving in Albuquerque. Click the button below to see more information.  
Volunteers are always welcome at the donation site to help sort - just drop in!​

Order from our Amazon Wish List
When you order from our Amazon Wish List, the items will be shipped directly to us! The list includes many of our current in-kind needs as well as items that can only be given new, such as greatly needed fresh underwear. 

Pick the items from the list you'd like to contribute and add them to your cart. Then at checkout, choose "Catholic Charities c/o E. Thompson" as the delivery address. The actual address will not be made visible due to Amazon's privacy settings.

volunteer
If you are interested in assisting asylum-seeker arrivals in Albuquerque, whether through Catholic Charities or other community organizations or churches, please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form.

​Do you have a medical background and want to join our medical team of volunteers assisting asylee arrivals? Please fill out the Medical Volunteer Interest Form.
​

​Volunteers are also always appreciated to help sort at the community in-kind donation site or to help provide and serve food. See the In-Kind Donations or Donate and Serve Food tabs for more information.
donate and Serve food
Our two respite sites receive 50 to 100 guests semi-weekly, and we provide them with ready-to-serve easy-to-digest meals throughout the week. We have been relying on the generosity of churches and civic organizations to help with food preparation, delivery and service.

Please click the button to email our food coordinator if you or your organization/church/business might be interested in providing in providing a prepared ready-to-serve meal and/or a few volunteers to serve (Spanish-speaking appreciated but not necessary).
​A few notes: 
  • Because many of our guests are recovering from dehydration or malnutrition, we cannot accept foods that are spicy, greasy, or rich. 
  • Foods that do work well include: chicken, rice, beans, salad, soups, spaghetti, burritos (w/o chile), sandwiches, breads, crackers,  fruits and vegetables, etc.
  • On Mondays, our sites typically receive 50-100 arrivals and the first meal is served at 4 pm. As we facilitate travel to their sponsoring families, this number reduces throughout the week, and most are gone by Thursday. ​

​We also appreciate donations of:
  • Pop/Pull-Top Canned Meals or Individually Packaged High-Protein Snacks (for travel)
  • Bottled Water, Juices, or Milk (to be given upon arrival to our dehydrated guests)
  • Apples and Oranges (to be given upon arrival to our dehydrated guests)
  • Other Fresh and Cut/Ready-to Serve Fruit 
  • 8 oz Paper Cups
  • Utensils
  • Cupcakes or Cookies (or other individual easy-to-serve desserts)!

​If you would like to help with any of these needs, please click the button to email our food coordinator. Thank you.

TRAINING 
We have concluded our series of weekly trainings. 
​
If you have a group interested in requesting a training, please click here to send an email inquiry. 

PARTNERS

We would like to thank the following groups for their collaboration and support in this project:


​MORE INFORMATION

Check out the following links for news and updates about this humanitarian effort throughout Albuquerque and the U.S.:
See the Statement from Sister Donna Markham OP, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, Addressing Humanitarian Crisis at the Border

Project CommUNITY: New Mexico leaders react to Immigration on KOAT

Watch Jim Gannon, Catholic Charities CEO/Executive Director, and Gary Coffin, Indivisible Nob Hill Vice President, on New Mexico in Focus discussing how you can help asylum-seekers

Listen to Celia Yapita, Catholic Charities Chief Program Officer, and other women involved in welcoming migrants through Albuquerque on Women's Focus with Carol Boss on KUNM

Read about Companions on the Journey in the April issue People of God Magazine

Read the interview with Jim Gannon (CC CEO/ED) in the Rio Rancho Observer

Watch the Full Video of Press Conference with Mayor Keller, Archbishop Wester, and Jim Gannon (CC CEO/ED)
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Confused about how the complex asylum process works? Check out this article from the Albuquerque Journal explaining each step from crossing the border to a formal asylum hearing
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Press Release from the City of Albuquerque

Archbishop John C. Wester's Blog

KOAT Action 7 News: Helping Migrants

Listen to Jim Gannon discuss the effort in March and April with Mary Woods on the Archbishop's Hour on Catholic Radio:
March 20, 2019      April 17, 2019

AP News: US expands 'catch and release' amid surge in migrants

Watch CCN's Chris Cuomo takes a look at life in border shelters

Watch CNN's Chris Cuomo gets firsthand view of border crisis

Annunciation House provides direct hospitality to those most in need along Texas-Mexico border, focusing especially on people in migration. Because the current need is often exceeding their capacity, organizations in Albuquerque and other cities have been working with Annunciation House to help with his humanitarian effort. Click here to learn more about Annunciation House.

Washington Post Profile on Ruben Garcia, Annunciation House Director

Creating Hope For Anyone In Need

In answering this emergent call for help, we at Catholic Charities still continue our many programs to assist nearly 17,500 people a year throughout Central New Mexico, regardless of religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, or age. Check out our center pages to learn more:
The mission of Catholic Charities is to put faith in action to improve the lives of those in need. We provide services to promote self-sufficiency, strengthen families, fight poverty, and build community. As the local 501(c)(3) affiliate of Catholic Charities USA, we remain dedicated to finding solutions to some of the most pressing social challenges individuals, children and families face regardless of race, religion, color, country of origin, disabilities, gender, age, or sexual orientation.