Spent the morning at the Holding Institute in Laredo where they are providing shelter to recently arrived immigrants, as well as Laredo residents experiencing homelessness.

40 people were dropped off at the shelter last night and 20 more are coming in from Zapata county today.

Spoke w/ Edith who traveled with her daughter & husband from El Salvador. They felt like they had no choice but to make the 2,000+ mile journey to the U.S.

“Did you travel by foot, by bus or by train?”

“Yes, all of them.”

Arrived with just the clothes on their backs.

I was so impressed with the staff and volunteers at the shelter, their kindness and professionalism in welcoming and caring for those who have survived this incredibly tough journey.

(You can donate here to help them: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3A4VLBKKAE4ES)

I hope we can do the right thing.

Invest time and focus in Central America, Mexico & this Hemisphere to help resolve issues that would cause a family to make this journey.

Rewrite our immigration laws to allow for a safe path to apply for asylum, family reunification or work.

Ensure our border communities are listened to, respected and at the table when making policy that will affect us disproportionately.

Treat the asylum seeker, the refugee, the immigrant with dignity.

Live up to our values and our promise.