Catholic News Service: More than 52,000 minors traveling alone and 39,000 families have been picked up this fiscal year. The number of children traveling alone has doubled over a year ago and is more than seven times the number that was typical annually through 2011.
For the past two months, volunteers acting on their own have been meeting immigrants at the bus station. They provide food and help the disoriented families navigate bus travel. As the numbers escalated, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley opened two assistance centers.
When they arrive at the bus station, “they are scared, they’re hungry, they’re tired,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, who is executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. “They don’t know who to trust. They fear someone will take advantage of them.” Read more here.
