“We never imagined Nogales would be the place where we would begin again,” Pedro shared with us one morning while having breakfast at Kino.
Pedro and Arlena left Bolivia in 2023 with the hope of seeking asylum in the United States.
“The journey was long,” Arlena recalled. “Imagine crossing border after border through cold and heat, with hunger and the constant fear that our resources would run out.”
Like so many others, they embarked on a long and uncertain journey, believing the border would simply be a place to pass through. They expected to stay only a few weeks while waiting for the opportunity to cross.
That opportunity never came.
With changes in U.S. immigration policies and the closure of access to asylum at the start of the new Trump administration, thousands of people were left stranded in border cities across northern Mexico. What many expected to be a short wait became months of uncertainty, forcing them to answer a difficult question: How do you move forward when the future is unclear?
Pedro and Arlena decided to stay in Nogales.
Not because they had stopped dreaming of building a future elsewhere, but because life continued here. Little by little, they became part of the city. Both found work and began creating a daily routine, learning the streets, recognizing familiar faces, and becoming part of a community that, almost unexpectedly, began to feel like home.
Along the way, life brought new challenges.
A few months ago, Arlena experienced a health issue that required surgery. Amid the fear and recovery, Pedro never left her side. For a moment, the uncertainty of their immigration status faded into the background as they faced another deeply human experience: caring for one another.
“Kino was there for me during the hardest moments, and it continues to be here for all of us,” Arlena told us.
That simple sentence captures so much of what they have lived through over the past year.
At Kino, they found support when they needed it most. But over time, they found something even more meaningful: community. Today, they continue to participate actively in community activities, sharing life with other migrants, welcoming those who have just arrived, and offering encouragement from the perspective of people who know firsthand what it means to begin again.
Pedro and Arlena’s story reminds us that migration does not always end when a border closes. Often, that is where a new story begins: the story of rebuilding life in a place that was never part of the original plan.
At Kino, we have seen how, for many people, waiting is no longer measured in weeks. It is measured in birthdays celebrated, new jobs begun, friendships formed, and relationships that provide strength and stability. What begins as a place to rest for a few days can, over time, become the place where life is rebuilt.
That does not mean forgetting the home left behind. It means recognizing the extraordinary capacity people have to rebuild their lives when they are met with opportunity, accompaniment, and a community that welcomes them with dignity.
Pedro and Arlena continue to dream about the future.
“We know God never abandons us,” Pedro said. “He treasures our prayers for a prosperous future. But while that future is still unfolding, we are grateful for everything we have been able to build so far.”
Their story reminds us that home is not always the place where we expected to stay. Sometimes, home is the place where someone reaches out a hand and makes it possible to begin again.
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