Donate to children asylum seekers in Mexico

The Return of MPP

The Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) are returning. MPP, first implemented in 2019, was the very reason The Sidewalk School was founded. Victor Cavazos and I started the school because we saw children asylum seekers sitting in the plaza every day, living in tents with no access to education. Days turned into weeks, and it became clear that education needed to be part of these children’s lives—something no one else was addressing consistently nor were they bringing in asylum seekers as the teachers. (Children need to see themselves in their teachers).

What happens to children when they are out of school for years? During the first implementation of MPP, which lasted two years, we saw the devastating impact of this policy. Without education, children were left without structure, a safe space to play, socialize, or learn. There was no one consistently thinking about their basic needs—like clean water, food, shoes, coats, or even safe shelter. That was when the original Matamoros encampment emerged in 2019, lasting until the Biden administration ended the policy.

Now, in 2025, MPP is back, and Victor and I are facing it once again. We are devastated. We never imagined being pulled back into this nightmare. But the true pain is not ours. We do not have to live in encampments or shelters. We do not face years of being trapped in Mexico, constantly fearing for our lives. The real heartbreak is for the asylum seekers, deportees, and even Americans who will now endure this reality.

This is a pain you cannot fully describe unless you’ve been there, unless you’ve seen the fear and hopelessness firsthand. The Sidewalk School, now approaching six years of operation, is preparing for the long road ahead. Over the next four years, we will welcome a new group of students, (and watching them grow up) offering them not only education but a sense of hope and stability. These children will grow up under the shadow of this policy, and will be forever changed by it but we will be here to make sure they are not forgotten.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere. -Dr. King

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And to learn more about us please visit our website: SidewalkSchool.org

Thank you for your generosity,

Felicia Rangel-Samponaro

and

Victor Cavazos

Directors

The Sidewalk School