/ Modified jun 18, 2024 3:44 p.m.

Change in asylum rules creates influx of migrants in Sonora shelter

A migrant shelter in Nogales, Sonora, is having a large increase in migrants being returned to Mexico after crossing the border into Arizona, including many families and children.

360 nogales border From Nogales, Arizona, a view of the city and its border wall with Nogales, Sonora.
John DeSoto/AZPM

Juan Francisco Loureiro, who runs the San Juan Bosco Shelter in Nogales, says that since President Biden’s executive order last week, limiting access to asylum, they have more than 100 people a day coming through the shelter who were removed from the U.S., more than half of which are children.

Loureiro said in Spanish that the migrants fled or were forcibly displaced from their place of origin mainly due to the violence that exists in those places, and now don’t know what they’re going to do because they can’t return to their home and they can no longer enter the United States.

The shelter is seeking donations to help with the influx of families.

Donations can be made here or here through the Border Community Alliance. The US-based nonprofit says to designate the donation is for the San Juan Bosco shelter in either the "Donor Note" or the dropdown menu for "Mexican Pass Thru" organizations.

People can also send a check to: Border Community Alliance P.O. Box 1863, Tubac, AZ 85646 All donations are tax-deductible.

The shelter will use the funds to purchase the following as needed:

  • Undergarments and clothing for men and women;
  • Beans, lentils, rice, dry goods, and grains;
  • Disposable plates and cutlery;
  • Cleaning supplies such as bleach, dish soap, etc.
  • Diapers, feminine hygiene products, disinfectant wipes, etc.
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