Over the past few years, there has been significant growth in the number of people seeking asylum at the US southern border, which has drawn the attention of US politicians, media, and humanitarian organizations. In order to better understand the humanitarian response to asylum-seeking and recent immigrant populations along the US southern border, our team of eight Clark University graduate students will travel to McAllen and Brownsville, TX for 3 weeks to work with a few humanitarian organizations who provide legal and material assistance, such as Catholic Charities of the Rio Grand Valley, Angry Tías y Abuelas, and Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden. We will spend most of our time as volunteers at the respite center which “provides a place for the countless men, women, children and infant refugees to rest, have a warm meal, a shower and change into clean clothing…receive medicine and other supplies, before continuing onto their journey”. 

The Overground Railroad is a project by Grannies Respond to create a national network of bus station volunteers who greet and assist asylum seekers as they travel from detention centers to their sponsors across the US. In addition to working on the ground in Texas, our team will also be working to fortify the efforts of the Overground Railroad. We hope you will join us in helping 'lay the tracks' for asylum seekers to make a new home in the US. Donated funds will go towards our fuel costs for the drive to and from Texas, food, lodging, and emergency supplies.

The photo is a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo entitled 'Self-Portrait on the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States'.