“None of us were able to sleep because we were so afraid,” Lenora* recalls when thinking about the night she spent with her children in Border Patrol custody. She and her three kids fled Southern Mexico to save her daughter – a man with a long history of brutal violence against women was targeting her and issuing threats. Once they arrived at the US - Mexico border, the family turned themselves over to Border Patrol agents. “The Border Patrol agent we turned ourselves into put us in a vehicle …Read More

“It was a gift from God that these people were put in my life.” This is Kenia’s story of the hope she maintained throughout her migration journey, a hope that was made possible not only by her own will but by the support and kindness of strangers she met along the way. Kenia is a mother of three children from Guerrero, Mexico. The father of those three children is a man whose family was involved in illegal drug trafficking. Although her then-husband was not directly involved, her family was a …Read More

“God gave me the strength to survive what they [Border Patrol] did to me…People do not have to allow Border Patrol’s abuses.” This is Alfredo’s story of his strength and the accompaniment he received following the traumatic abuse he endured on his migration journey. In March of 2022, Alfredo fled his home country of Guatemala due to a lack of economic opportunity. Two days into his journey of crossing through the desert, Border Patrol found his group and began pursuing them. A Border …Read More

“I want to tell migrants to trust and be patient because everything happens as it should when things are done correctly. God’s timing is perfect.” Beatriz’s story Beatriz fled Venezuela with her son in 2019 when the violence and persecution they faced became unbearable. She came from a family labeled as “the opposition” by the dictatorial Venezuelan government, making Beatriz and her loved ones a constant target.  Though she and her family had received many threats because …Read More

In a recent interview with Ivette Fuentes, the Development Associate for the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), her journey from volunteer to an essential member of the organization encourages us to remember the importance of migration with dignity. Born and raised in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, Ivette's dedication to serving migrant families in need has made a lasting impact. Ivette's introduction to KBI began when she lived in Arizona while she attempted to acquire her permanent residency in the …Read More