Mexican Pastor’s Shelter Aids Immigrants in the US

      It was built to hold 150 people, but it often holds hundreds more than its limit, he said. “We are the one home that does this. There aren’t any others. We help the families who are seeking refuge in the U.S.,” he said. As refugees and migrants flee their countries in hope of finding refuge and work in the  U.S., they face a difficult and dangerous journey. To help these people, Silva founded a shelter near the border, Senda de Vida Casa del Emigrante, he told The Christian Post. In English, the name means “Way of Life Immigrant House.” As part of his ministry, he gives people fleeing their home countries a place to stay and hear the Gospel. “I founded the shelter because I have a heart for families, people and the homeless,” Silva said. Right now, the 12,916 square foot shelter holds 540 people, Silva said. “It’s big, it’s very big,” he said. Thirty-five of its current residents are children.

       “We report the children [who arrive alone] and find all of these issues. If they’re here, we find the time necessary to help,” Silva said. Most of the shelter’s residents are from Spanish-speaking countries including Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Cuba, he said. Others come from as far away as Uganda, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Ghana. Most want to enter the U.S. A majority of people who’ve sought refuge at the shelter speak Spanish, Silva added. For those who don’t speak Spanish, Senda de Vida employs a translator. While people stay at the shelter, Silva provides them with food, medicine, access to technology and child education, he said. “Some time ago, we had 1,000 people. We would get overfilled. At 500, we’re kind of full. At 150, we’re all right with it,” he said. “At first it took a lot of patience to understand all the different cultures [in one place]. With compassion, we worked to understand each other.” Covid-19 has made the plight of refugees even more difficult and has presented the ministry with new challenges, Silva said. Due to COVID-19, like many other countries, the U.S. closed its borders. Currently, 1,000 people who have stayed at Casa del Emigrante are waiting in Mexico to find out their U.S. immigration status.