McALLEN — The new normal is silence.
McALLEN — The new normal is silence.
No children running around, no families gathered together, no Border Patrol trucks dropping off new guests. That is what the Respite Center at Sacred Heart Catholic Church used to be, and much more, with immigrants from Central America and Mexico temporarily staying on the grounds after being apprehended by law enforcement.
Tens of thousands of immigrants would cross the southern border each month for many years. But in March, fewer than 12,500 people were apprehended at the southern border.
The center had its lowest number of people come through in March since it opened in 2014. There were only 258 people the entire month, with just 65 staying overnight. That is wildly different from November, when more than 7,500 immigrants passed through the center. That was the highest monthly total since 2014. In December just less than 7,400 came through the center.
March had multiple days with zero people. Sister Norma Pimentel, who runs the center, said it’s “very strange,” but she intends to keep the center open, as they’re still receiving immigrants from Border Patrol. She said there were 25 immigrants who came through this past weekend.
On Monday afternoon, there was only one woman, wearing an ankle monitor, with her daughter. Odales Medina, 28, fed her 11-month-old daughter, Natalia, as she discussed her journey from Guatemala. It sounded like so many others who journeyed from Central America; poverty and violence being the common denominators in most stories.
Medina said she came with a group of 11, many of whom already boarded a bus on Monday to meet their families across the United States. But Medina didn’t know why so many others have decided not to come.
Pimentel believes there are several reasons, including President Donald Trump’s tough talk on immigration, and that immigrants hear they will not get properly released from Border Patrol once they’re apprehended. There was also talk from Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly in early March that he was considering separating parents and children. However, Kelly said earlier this month that would not happen.
Another speculation for the drop in numbers is an uptick in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. ICE arrested 21,362 immigrants, mostly convicted criminals, from January through mid-March, compared to 16,104 during the same months last year, according to a report by The Washington Post on Sunday. That same report said arrests of immigrants with no criminal record more than doubled to 5,441.
Despite the daunting reasons, Medina trekked from Guatemala. She said she was apprehended once she crossed into the U.S., given a notice to appear in court at a later date and was given an ankle monitor. If she takes it off, it beeps, and law enforcement is notified. She added that law enforcement treated her and her baby well while in custody for three days. They gave her sandwiches and her daughter baby food.
While Medina’s future in the U.S. remained uncertain on Monday afternoon, she was happy to be here, away from the poverty and violence. After all, she was comfortable for the time being, and her daughter sucked down a bottle of milk. It was almost bath time. Their bus to meet family in Florida left in a few hours.
