A group of 41 migrants, including 11 children, arrived at St. Anthony’s Croatian Church Saturday afternoon after a 30-hour bus ride from Brownsville, Texas.
“We were organized, received them, right now some of them reuniting with family as they begin their new journey and their new life here in the United States,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.
The L.A. Welcomes Collective which includes city officials, community organizations and local non-profit groups provided food and water along with medical and mental health services to the asylum seekers from eight countries including Belize, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
“I think that these people are coming from incredible difficult situations,” said Martha Arevalo, Executive Director of the Central American Resource Center.
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“These are people who in many cases have made very, very long journeys. Journeys that can be traumatic. And to then be put on a bus for 30 hours, this is the end of that journey and so we’re just trying to make sure we are as helpful as possible,” said Zach Seidler, Deputy Director of Communications with the Mayor’s office.
The Mayor’s Office says they were never formally notified that the bus was on its way, but quickly mobilized after finding out on Friday.
“I think that as a country and this built by immigrants, that is created by immigrants, we have to make sure that in these moments of difficulty, we live by our principles and our values,” Arevalo said.
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This marks the second bus of migrants to arrive from Texas to Los Angeles in the last two weeks.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago wrote on Twitter Saturday that Texas Governor Greg Abbott “should be ashamed of himself! He failed the basic test of humanity.”
As families reunite with relatives behind church gates, the Collective looks forward to helping them get the fresh start they’ve been seeking.
“Every case is different but they’ll be going through their process – the immigration process. People, I'm sure some people will be able to stay through the different programs that exist and maybe some people will not be able to stay, depending on their case,” Arevalo said.
