Casa Del Migrante En Tijuana

Guest post by Julia Ponce, student, The Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University

Along a residential road lined with humble dwellings, four miles away from both downtown Tijuana and the San Ysidro-Tijuana border, sits la Casa del Migrante or the Migrant’s House, a faith-based non-profit temporary shelter for migrant men run under the direction of Father Pat Murphy. Founded in 1987 by Scalabrinian missionaries, la Casa del Migrante has provided shelter and humanitarian assistance to more than 250,000 migrant men from Mexico, Central America and other Latin American countries. In the last five years, 90% of the men occupying the 180 available beds at la Casa were deported migrants from the United States and from countries as far as Nepal. What started as a house of hospitality is now a source of hope for deportees that wind up homeless in Tijuana, destitute and thousands of miles away from their homes.

A safe haven in a city filled with fear, persecution, insecurity and violent crime; la Casa provides migrants with temporary security, social and mental health services, legal assistance, and hope. La Casa helps migrants in finding permanent housing and work in Tijuana. It advocates for the humane treatment for migrants in collaboration with local police and government. La Casa belongs to a larger international network providing assistance for migrants at strategic points along the US-Mexico border, Central America, Africa, Haiti and South America. Before given a bed, migrants seeking safe harbor at La Casa are screened by volunteers and must abide by the house rules. By providing migrants with a second chance and an opportunity to get back on their feet and their lives together, La Casa del Migrante is a beacon of light for those attempting to navigate a sea of turbulent waters, men escaping unimaginable and atrocious conditions in their own countries, ultimately left to seek refuge in Mexico.

-KitJ