Rodríguez ministers to migrants with vital ingredient—truth

July 22 conference in La Cueva shelter to more than 250 migrants.

Misinformation creates mental barriers that affect the lives of many migrant families, immigration attorney Elket Rodríguez told more than 600 refugees stranded in Matamoros, Mexico, just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas.

Rodríguez, Fellowship Southwest’ and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s immigrant and refugee advocacy and missions specialist, busted many myths the migrants have about the U.S. asylum process. He worked alongside Pastor Eleuterio González of Iglesia Valle de Beraca, which feeds and shelters hundreds of refugees in Matamoros and surrounding communities.

“I explained to migrants the U.S. policies regarding asylum and immigration, among other general issues,” Rodríguez said. "In addition, I tried to clarify the expectations migrants have about the asylum process."

July 28 conference with 350 migrants who were brought in by buses to Valle de Beraca. Many of these migrants were Haitians.

Disinformation is one of the most harmful obstacles migrants face, he said. Predators of various kinds seek to profit from migrants’ suffering and lack of knowledge as they flee persecution and depravation in their home countries. 

That’s why accurate information is vital for them and their families, Rodríguez stressed. “It is important for migrants to have accurate information about the asylum process in the U.S., because many confuse it with the many lies and myths spread on social media." 

Human smugglers advertise on social media, falsely claiming they can successfully bring migrants through the U.S-Mexico border. To counter those efforts, the Biden administration launched a social media campaign in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, seeking to deter the migrant flow north.

“It worries me a lot, because migrants are bombarded with information, and sometimes, they don't know who to believe,” Rodríguez said. “Migrants are in a disadvantaged position in society, and they arrive with many injuries. This, coupled with their mistrust of institutions, makes carrying the correct message more difficult."

Migrants listen to dozens of voices on their paths, he said. They will listen to the voices of family members back home and in the United States, their neighbors, the human smugglers, their fellow countrymen, their fellow migrants, pretenders, attorneys and pastors. 

“But one sound advice from someone who is not trying to take advantage from them can make a difference in their lives,” Rodríguez said, expressing his own hope for the result of his presentation.

Rodríguez and González are actively involved in Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief ministry. To support their efforts, along with the ministries of other pastors in the network, click here.