Annunciation House

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Annunciation House is a network of shelters located in El Paso, Texas. It primarily provides assistance to newly arrived migrants from Central America. Their facilities provide food, sleeping accommodation, and referrals for legal and medical support. The organization has close links to local faith communities, particularly the Catholic Church. Annunciation House has received international attention and news-coverage as a result of incidents related to the 2014 American immigration crisis, the Trump administration family separation policy, the U.S.-Mexico border crisis, and the National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States.[1][2][3][4][5] As of January 2020, Rubén Garcia has been Director of the shelter for more than 40 years.[6]

Activities[edit]

The majority of people arriving at Annunciation House come after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or the US Border Patrol.[7][8] The organization provides food, water, shelter, family reunification, and referral to legal and medical services.[9] Annunciation House operates on both sides of the Mexico-US border.[10]

History[edit]

Foundation[edit]

Discussions concerning the founding of Annunciation House began in 1976. The founding principles included that any services and facilities provided through the shelter would be free, that those involved in the operation of the shelter would be unpaid, and the shelter would rely on donations rather than permanent funding sources. Additionally, services were to be offered to people who were not supported by existing programs. In practice, this would include the homeless poor, and undocumented people.[11] The first location was acquired in autumn 1977, through the Diocese of El Paso loaning a vacant building. The first volunteers moved into the building on February 3, 1978.[11] Volunteers from around the country came to El Paso to help the shelter.[12] Loretto Academy, a Catholic girls' school, provided 40 student volunteers to the shelter in 1989.[13] Donations to the shelter, including food and furniture, came from local businesses and charities.[14] In 1988 alone, the Annunciation House aided more than 5,000 Central American people.[15]

In the early 1990s, Annunciation House developed a program called the 'Border Awareness Experience' which facilitated encounters between participants, people, and groups on both side of the US-Mexican border.[16][17]

By early 2003, there were four separate facilities run by Annunciation House.[18] Each facility was supported with donations and run by a fully volunteer staff.[18] Volunteers helped immigrants obtain basic services and shelter.[18]

In July of 2022, Annunciation House closed one of its largest shelters which was able to accommodate around 1,500 people.[19]

The Shooting of Juan Patricio Peraza[edit]

On February 22, 2003, a 19 year-old undocumented person from Mexico who was staying at Annunciation House, Juan Patricio Peraza, was shot and killed near to the shelter by a Border Patrol agent.[20][21] At 9:00AM, Juan Patricio Peraza was disposing of trash outside of the shelter when he was stopped and questioned by two uniformed Border Patrol agents. Juan Patricio then fled when a volunteer came outside to ask what was happening. A Border Patrol agent caught Juan Patricio and hit his head with a baton. Juan Patricio continued to flee and found a steel pipe which he raised above his head. The agent who was present did not shoot but called for backup. Four other agents then arrived and surrounded Juan Patricio. A sixth agent, Vernon Billings, then arrived and after 45 seconds he fired two shots at Juan Patricio.[22]

During the 2008 civil trial which followed the shooting, Harold Brown, a lawyer representing the Border Patrol agents, "argued that every agent at the scene that day would have been justified in shooting Peraza. That they didn't, he told the judge, doesn't make Billings' decision wrong."[20] By comparison, a lawyer for Juan Patricio Peraza’s family argued that: "The evidence is overwhelming that what happened in this case is Agent Billings turned a foot chase into a shooting."[20] The incident drew widespread condemnation from civil and religious community leaders, and is frequently cited as an example of the militarization of the US-Mexico border region and the disproportionate use of violence by law enforcement personnel against migrant communities.[23][24][25][26][27]

Recent developments[edit]

As a result of its front-line involvement in providing shelter and resources to migrants and homeless people in El Paso, the organization has received national attention from migrant rights groups who have encouraged donations to the organization, both financially and in the form of voluntary labor.[28][29][30]

In early February 2024, Texas State Attorney General, Ken Paxton, demanded that Annunciation House turn over "extensive documentation about the immigrant clients" the organization serves.[31] The Attorney General's office required the documents within one day of the request.[31] Paxton also accused Annunciation House of "smuggling people across the southern border and operating a stash house."[31] Ruben Garcia responded to Paxton, saying, "If the work that Annunciation House conducts is illegal -- so too is the work of our local hospitals, schools, and food banks."[31] Paxton's office also threatened to revoke the nonprofit status of Annunciation House.[31] Leaders in El Paso, including Mayor Oscar Leeser, have denounced the lawsuit and voiced support for Annunciation House.[32] Garcia said that he believes that the lawsuit may be the first in a line of legal actions meant to shut down shelters for migrants seeking asylum.[32]

In academic writing[edit]

Annunciation House is sometimes pointed to as an example of how migrant shelters operate in a so-called 'grey area' by both working in co-operation with law enforcement, and also providing assistance to people who are considered "illegal immigrants" by the state.[22] Annunciation House has been used as a case study by several scholars who are interested in this dynamic.[22][33][34][35]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cruz, Billy (June 30, 2018). "Summer job at El Paso migrant shelter proves 'vastly different' experience for Notre Dame students". Borderzine.
  2. ^ Koh, Charissa (10 July 2019). "Christian compassion at the border". World News Group. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020.
  3. ^ Morris-Young, Dan (August 15, 2019). "Annunciation House volunteers 'on lockdown' during El Paso massacre". National Catholic Reporter.
  4. ^ "Superhero Assumption Sisters use their 'powers' to empower others". Global Sisters Report. January 8, 2020. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020.
  5. ^ Malhi, Sabrina (January 9, 2020). "Our moral obligation to US migrants and asylum seekers". The Hill.
  6. ^ Burnett, John (6 April 2018). "As Border Crossings Tick Up, Migrants Bring Children, Take More Dangerous Routes". NPR.
  7. ^ Sanchez, Sara; Borunda, Daniel (24 December 2018). "ICE drops off hundreds of migrants at Downtown El Paso bus station; shelters scramble". El Paso Times.
  8. ^ Spicer, Honora (May 14, 2019). "Closing Nazareth: On Shelter". The Rumpus.
  9. ^ "Loretto Nazareth Hospitality | The CUE". utep.galaxydigital.com.
  10. ^ Kim, Jennifer J (2007). Impact of Globalization on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Case of Grassroots Activism for the Migrant and Refugee Community. Doctoral Thesis, University of Maryland. P163. URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1903/6856
  11. ^ a b "History and Philosophy". Annunciation House. November 25, 2019. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022.
  12. ^ Zavala, Antonia (26 December 1985). "Being Neighborly". El Paso Herald-Post. Retrieved 28 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Perez, Daniel (13 December 1989). "Loretto Volunteers Learn Gritty Lessons". El Paso Times. p. 1. and "Loretto". p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Haeder, Paul (18 March 1986). "Annunciation Spells Hope". El Paso Herald-Post. pp. A1."Refugees". pp. A4. Retrieved 28 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Salopek, Paul (15 January 1989). "Shelter in El Norte". El Paso Times. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. and "Shelter". pp. 4A. and "Refugees". p. 5. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Annunciation House Archives". Mariposa Museum and World Cultural Center. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Border Awareness Experience". Annunciation House. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Flynn, Ken (22 January 2003). "Annunciation House Anniversary". El Paso Times. pp. 1B. Retrieved 28 February 2024."House". pp. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Villagran, Lauren (16 September 2022). "5 Things to Know About Venezuelan Migration". El Paso Times. Retrieved 28 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b c Caldwell, Alicia A. (April 12, 2008). "Civil trial in teen's Border Patrol death winds down". Chron.
  21. ^ "Border Patrol agent cleared in slaying of immigrant". Plainview Herald. June 9, 2003.
  22. ^ a b c Woodling, Marie (2009). 'Marginal life: the production of the Undocumented and (il)legality at the U.S.-Mexican Border', International Relations and States of Exception: Margins, Peripheries, and Excluded Bodies. Edited by Shampa Biswas and Shelia Nair. London, Routledge. P154
  23. ^ Borunda, Daniel (31 January 2018). "Border Network for Human Rights to look for abuses by law enforcement, immigration agents". El Paso Times. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Border Patrol Has Killed at Least 97 People Since 2003. Hear Some of Their Victims' Stories". Buzz Flash. 4 September 2019.
  25. ^ Kim, Jennifer J (2007). Impact of Globalization on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Case of Grassroots Activism for the Migrant and Refugee Community. Doctoral Thesis, University of Maryland. P317.
  26. ^ Sadowski-Smith, Claudia (2018). 'Américo Paredes and the Work of Border Writing', Border Folk Balladeers: Critical Studies on Américo Paredes, ed. Roberto Cantú. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne. P47.
  27. ^ "History – Border Network for Human Rights". Border Network for Human Rights.
  28. ^ "How to Help Immigrant Families in the Southern Border". Southern Border Communities Coalition. December 10, 2018.
  29. ^ Morris-Young, Dan (August 15, 2019). "From Bay Area, volunteers head to El Paso: 'Time for Catholics to be Catholic'". National Catholic Reporter.
  30. ^ "Ways to Help Refugees: Charities and Other Resources". Medium. June 26, 2019. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020.
  31. ^ a b c d e Melhado, William (22 February 2024). "AG Sues Annunciation House for Withholding Records". El Paso Times. ProQuest 2931872617. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via ProQuest.
  32. ^ a b Martinez, Aaron (25 February 2024). "El Paso Leaders Support Annunciation House in Legal Battle with AG". pp. 1A. ProQuest 2932800302. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via ProQuest. and "Support". pp. 4A – via ProQuest.
  33. ^ Kim, Jennifer J (2007). Impact of Globalization on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Case of Grassroots Activism for the Migrant and Refugee Community. Doctoral Thesis, University of Maryland.
  34. ^ Fern, Simon (2019).The Potential of Sanctuary in the United States of America: Understanding Community Support for Undocumented People in the Context of Sovereignty and Humanitarianism. Master’s Thesis, University of Copenhagen.
  35. ^ Lusk, Mark; Galindo, Feliza (2007). ‘Strength and Adversity: Testimonies of the Migration’, ‘’Social Development’’ vol.39, no.1. pp.11-28
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