Immigration Learning Tour - South Texas

This immigration-focused learning tour presents a unique opportunity to engage directly with organizations making a positive impact on our neighbors. Participants will have the chance to meet with law enforcement officials from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), gaining insights into the complexities of immigration enforcement, including deportation and apprehensions. Additionally, the tour will shed light on the challenges faced by migrants on their journey and raise awareness about the asylum process, and conditions faced by displaced and uprooted individuals. 

Registration Period: May 1, 2024, to July 14, 2024 

Learning Tour Dates: Sunday, August 18, 2024, to Friday, August 23, 2024 

Locations: McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, USA; Matamoros and Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Registration Fee: $750 USD - Covers lodging, meals, honorariums and transportation in the region. *does not include airfare* 

Examples of activities that might be included in the trip are as follow:
- Visit, witness and learn about the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

- Cross into the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas to visit non-profit
organizations located in Reynosa and Matamoros to learn about organizations who are assisting migrating and displaced families and learn about their work.

- Visit Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley -Immigrant Resource Center in South Texas to learn about their years-long work, how their work has drastically changed through the changing U.S. policies.

- Learn about children in detention centers and the work of pro-bono attorneys and staff leading the way of assistance to unrepresented children in detention and immigration court.

- Meet with US Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice who coordinate efforts with Immigrant Detention Centers and Immigration Court.