The Darien Gap has become a symbol for the magnitude and complexity of the global migration crisis. The 10,000 square miles of rainforest connecting Central and South America is a natural labyrinth where migrants face the immensity of nature and the constant danger of getting lost. Steep mountains, vast swamps, rushing rivers, wild and deadly wildlife, extreme weather and disease are the order of the day on this stretch that has become one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world.

Fellowship Southwest just returned from a vision trip to the Rio Grande Valley, introducing church leaders to our border ministry partners in Brownsville, Reynosa and the colonias. We were joined by ministers and lay leaders from the Austin-Waco area including Restore Austin, Vox Veniae and UBC Waco.

As the U.S. presidential election looms just four weeks away, the landscape along the U.S.-Mexico border has changed dramatically—both in policy and in the rhythm of migrant flows. In recent months, border pastors who compose Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief ministry have seen their work adapt to the new conditions Notably, the number of migrants entering the U.S. has significantly decreased, and shelter dynamics in northern Mexico continue to evolve.

If you're a music fan, you've been mourning the passing last weekend of Kris Kristofferson. The singer, songwriter and actor lived a life so remarkable it reads like fiction. In addition to his well known accomplishments in the arts, he was also a Rhodes scholar who studied at Oxford, an Army Ranger, a helicopter pilot, a college football player, and as a young man had such a promising future as a boxer he was in Sports Illustrated.

Fellowship Southwest partners with a new organization in the Rio Grande Valley that focuses on serving the colonias, House of Love and Justice. So many of our border partners work on the Mexican side of the border, so we are thrilled to support the ministry of Caly Fernandez and join her in serving our neighbors on this side of the border in the colonias. 

A few weeks ago my wife, Deborah and I took our daughter on her first trip to New York City to celebrate her tenth birthday. Though I’d been to the city many times before, almost every other trip was short and tied to work or another occasion. With more free time and my daughter in tow, I was determined to take a boat ride to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I’m so very glad we did.

The Latino community can be a force to be reckoned with when we unite.

That is one reason why Fellowship Southwest is thankful to partner with the Latino Christian National Network (LCNN), and as a Latina myself, it is a personal privilege.

LCNN is an ecumenical network of Latino leaders working to provide Latino and Latina Christian leaders with a respectful space for dialogue, mutual formation, cooperation, amplifying our prophetic voice, and civic engagement for justice.

Last weekend, the Church Without Walls in Houston, TX, hosted Pastor Edrei Rodriguez of Mercy without Borders, one of FSW’s newest partners working with Migrants in Reynosa.

I'm in the last week of a five-week internship service at Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville’s migrant ministry, Ministerio Golan. This ministry assists Latin American asylum seekers and refugees by providing free transportation to the Brownsville and Harlingen airports, clothing, food, and basic hygiene care. They also offer a respite home for pregnant women, families with children with disabilities, and Southwest Keys 'age-outs' to stay overnight while they await their flights. The church uses these points of intersection to share the gospel with them and provide emotional and spiritual support.

We have come to know one family at the migrant center fairly well. Before they arrived, they had an appointment to enter the United States. However, by the time they had the money to travel to northern Mexico, they had arrived too late. They have been patiently waiting for another appointment ever since. It has been three and a half months. One day, the youngest daughter in the family came to us, asking to be interviewed. Only eight years old, but she had a story and wanted to share it. We sat down and Christina eventually asked, “Why did you leave Honduras?”.

My teammate and I prepared an adult Bible study for the following day at the kitchen table. After some discussion, we settled on Acts 2: 1-13 where the Holy Spirit came down on a group of followers gathered to worship in what will become known as Pentecost. The story of Pentecost is dear to me for many reasons; I announced the pregnancy of both my children on this special Sunday, it normally falls on or around my birthday, and frankly, I think the Holy Spirit is not given enough credit, so I appreciate the stories that feature Her!

Let me first admit that I hate that I don’t have all the answers to share with you about the people that we are interacting with and about these families who have been staying here with us. I work as a Chaplain at a major hospital, so I hear many stories all the time. I like to think that my strength is listening. But here, limited by my language skills, I have so many unanswered questions. I’ve learned to adapt and rely on other life skills and the Spirit to get me through. I’m here to see and each day, I pick up on something new about the system, the effects of the law on the people, the inner workings (and difficulties) of this work of ongoing care for the people who migrate through here, and the mini connections with these families from various countries, and the people in this church and ministry who support them.

No word is more offensive in the U.S. immigration debate than "illegal." It can refer to someone undocumented or without legal authorization. However, this term is often used more broadly, even encompassing asylum seekers and legal permanent residents—those authorized to be in the country. It is frequently used as a slur against anyone crossing the border or any foreign born who is Brown or Black, regardless of their manner of entry.

This is a re-publication of the letter that Pastor Ryon Price sent to the congregation of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, during his trip with Fellowship Southwest to the border.

You are probably reading and hearing about the unrest in Haiti over the past couple of weeks. We've wondered how this will impact migration flows and the pending immigration of Haitians who have been waiting to seek asylum in the U.S. for many months already. It looks as if we aren't the only ones wondering. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has decided to act preemptively to shield Floridians from what he sees as a threat: Haitian refugees. We are disappointed that once again, our leaders are choosing to criminalize immigrants rather than respond with humanitarian compassion.

I’ve written before about the wide gulf between what I hear, see, and experience at the border and the tenor of our political debate. Never has the contrast been as stark as what I experienced last week.

Stephen Reeves and I spent last week in Cd. Juarez, Mexico, for a four-day ecumenical conference on human mobility by “Como Nacido Entre Nosotros ( or CNEN)” (as one born among you). CNEN is a regional network driven by churches and Christian organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean that seeks to join existing efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Christian community to care for, protect, and promote the rights of migrants.

Earlier this week, a bipartisan Senate border proposal surfaced and then failed, after being negotiated for three months. But we want to tell you about it anyway. 

First, the current state of our border is unsustainable. No one thinks that waves of asylum seekers making a dangerous trek to our border is the best scenario for anyone. We need a secure border, but we also need a humane border. 

As the border deal fails to secure enough votes in Congress, attention has pivoted to push for the passage of H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act. However, a closer examination of the bill reveals alarming provisions that pose significant risks to the well-being and rights of migrant children –those they claim to protect.

Here's a breakdown of what is included in H.R.2:

Migrants from Latin and South America are frequently the victims of exploitation and extortion in their home countries or along their journeys north. Unfortunately it doesn’t get much better for some once they get here. Instead of cartels, they face unjust corporations. Nowhere is there a better microcosm of multifaceted immigrant exploitation than in Colony Ridge.