From the Oblates' San Eugenio Mission, the Face of Immigration Looks Different

May 01, 2006 - 12:00 PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Catholic PRWire

TIJUANA, Mexico--As immigration legislation involving "illegal aliens" is debated, protested, and politicized across America, the issue takes on a different face and name in the "colonias" of San Eugenio. Here, in the heart of one of the poorest and fastest growing areas of Tijuana, Padre Pablo Wilhelm, O.M.I., a priest with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, founded San Eugenio Mission. 180,000 people reside in the 11 "colonias" of this mission area.

The people of San Eugenio are families stricken by overwhelming poverty and struggling to survive in a precarious purgatory between two worlds. Most Tijuana residents live in shacks made up of packing crates and scrap wood. They have no running water, no sanitation system, and no postal service. According to Fr. Wilhelm, "the majority of the streets are still unpaved and that means they are dusty in the dry season and muddy and treacherous in the rainy season. The stench of trash burning and stagnant water fills the air. Rashes, intestinal and respiratory ailments, fevers, and infections of all kinds are common. Asthma is a year-round problem."

Many jobless persons have remained in Tijuana. Those who have uprooted their families for a chance to survive receive $30 to $100 in weekly wages, without any benefits. "I have seen people on both sides of the border struggle to make a living and provide for their families," Fr. Tom Rush, O.M.I., remarked. "The level of wages and the opportunities for people living on the Mexican side. . .are particularly limited. It is common for a worker living on the south side of the border to earn about 10% of what a person on the north side earns."

Fr. Rush has worked with immigrants for more than 30 years on both sides of the border. "From my experience living in Tijuana," Fr. Rush explains, "I often see members of families, some of whom live on one side of the border and others who live on the other side, gather at the border fence and pass food across to each other as they share a meal together."

Meanwhile, the debate continues as some support the protection of the United States and others support the protection of those who live here, whether legally or illegally. In a statement made in March 2006, the U.S. Bishops wrote: "These undocumented immigrants are our friends, our neighbors, our fellow human beings bound to us by a common humanity. Any just response to immigration reform must be rooted in the recognition that ultimately, we are one human family."

For Fr. Rush, "finding a perspective that is truly Christian in the midst of many opinions and interests" is what "ultimately stands out" when considering immigration issues from south of the border. "The question of who is my neighbor has great importance for me," he continues. It shapes "how I look at the border and the crossing of so many peoples from one side to another."

# # #

Contact

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
http://www.oblatesusa.org
IL, US
Lisa Lachky - Communications Coordinator, 618 398-7640

Keywords

Immigration

Category

Catholic Organizations

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