Group that helps refugees seeks volunteers

Refugees are once again making their way to the borderland in increased numbers, and because of that, the Annunciation House, which offers temporary hospitality for incoming refugees, is looking for volunteers at its Nazareth House.

Just Monday, Loretto-Nazareth took in 68 refugees. The heaviest days for the Loretto-Nazareth home are Mondays and Fridays. The reason for that is that they just do not have enough volunteers to operate the facility on weekends.

Ruben Garcia, director of the Annunciation House, tells ABC-7 that the Nazareth House has been averaging 40 to 75 people per week. All of those people are entering from the El Paso border.

Annunciation House operates several sites, and most of the refugees coming into El Paso are dropped off at the Loretto site.

The reason that ICE sends them to Loretto-Nazareth is because the church does not want anyone out on the street.

Loretto-Nazareth has gone from seeing 10 to 20 arrivals in a single day to as many as 75.

Garcia assured us that ICE does not release a refugee until after they have fingerprinted them, they have photographed them, and they have gotten their name and any other kind of documentation. Once cleared, refugees in the El Paso area are sent to facilities that offer temporary hospitality and travel assistance– such as Loretto-Nazareth.

Loretto-Nazareth averages 125 to 175 immigrants weekly, and Garcia is concerned that the number will continue to go up. Garcia is also concerned that their facility will not have the means to transport people to airports or bus stations.

Garcia says that what they really need are the volunteers. They need volunteers who are willing to and have the time to take the refugees to the airport and direct them in the right direction.