MEXICALI, MEXICO—As a native of sub-Saharan Africa, Sister Chilee Okoko, D.M.M.M., has witnessed harsh living conditions before.
But a tour of three migrant shelters in Mexicali, Mexico on July 15 left her shaken, she admits.
“My heart was broken,” said Sr. Chilee, who is the Director of the Diocesan Department of Life, Dignity and Justice. “There were so many, many, many children…”
Sr. Chilee spent an afternoon at the shelters at the invitation of Sister Suzanne Jabro, CSJ, who heads a Coachella Valley nonprofit group, Desert Support for Asylum Seekers, that regularly visits Mexico to minister to migrants caught in the latest chapter of the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Sr. Chilee was accompanied by her assistant, Maria Valadez, and David Okonkwo, Director of the Diocesan Ministry to Catholics of African Descent.
The first stop was at the remains of Refugio del Migrante, a shelter that had burned to the ground in an electrical fire just days earlier. No one was injured in the fire, but many lost important documents needed for their journey. A majority of those evacuated were taken to the Downtown Kitchen and Community Center, which was the second stop for Sr. Chilee and her co-workers.
The diocesan group spent most of the day at the third shelter they visited, Posada del Immigrante. Okonkwo, too, said he was stunned by the large number of children, teens and pregnant mothers who were packed tightly into this hot and odorous space.
“It was a painful event, but I was happy to be there,” he said. “You could see in their eyes, the hope we bring, the strength to not give up and even a bit of happiness. You could hear some praising God for our visit.”
Sr. Chilee agreed. “They need people to give them emotional and moral support,” she said.
The migrants are also in desperate need of food, personal hygiene items and clothing, Sr. Chilee says. Her group was able to deliver a check for $2,000 to the shelter for the purchase of food, but after what they witnessed, Sr. Chilee said she is committed to returning to deliver needed supplies.
“We met so many of them,” she said. “I know they need [food, personal hygiene items and clothes].”
Sr. Suzanne, who spent decades in prison ministry in California, and her group bring members of the faith, social service, and legal communities of the desert on their monthly visits to Mexicali. She said she would like to bring a delegation each month from one of the Southern California dioceses.
“It’s transformative,” she said. “When you’re standing with the asylum seekers on their journey, you see things from their perspective.”
Desert Support for Asylum Seekers was formed in 2019 for the purpose of providing food, supplies, pastoral support and legal services to asylum seekers. The group began making trips immediately, until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. After all members were fully vaccinated this year, the group resumed its monthly trips to Mexicali.
For more information on the group, go to desertsupportforasylumseekers.org.