PHOENIX — On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security dropped more than 100 migrants off at a Valley church after driving them down from detention centers in Yuma.
The men and women were welcomed with open arms, food and water as they continue their journey seeking asylum in the United States.
Pastor Magdalena Schwartz led the women and men in song and prayer.
"We are a church, we are working with compassion, with mercy, with love," she explained.
With emotions running high, Schwartz said it’s vital to get everyone fed and hydrated, giving them hygiene kits and helping them contact family.
"They want to have a better life and more security because of what’s going on in their country," she said.
She said because the detention centers release those with political asylum in a timely manner, they need a place to go; that's when the Department of Homeland Security will contact churches that open their doors to those who need help.
"They don't have the facility space to keep these people there because there isn't enough room," she said.
Iglesia Cristiana Alfa Y Omega Church in Phoenix is just one of six that Pastor Schwartz oversees. The church gives families the necessities they need and time to reunite with loved ones.
"We're calling this morning, each relative, each sponsor so they can buy the ticket so we can drive these people after they get confirmation."
After finalizing their travel plans, she said they take them to the airport so they can proceed with their personal immigration hearings.
"Everyone here has papers for immigration, everyone has a case with immigration, so nobody here is without papers, so they can fly and they can go with a relative or sponsor so no problem."
She said the migrants are coming from various countries hoping to connect with family.
"Cuba, Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Nicaragua, sometimes we receive people from Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, so different countries," she said.
Schwartz said many churches have been helping those bused to the Valley from Tucson and Yuma, off and on since 2018.
"We don't know how we feed these people, we clothe them and we help them, give them water, everything they need. In this situation, what would Jesus do? With all these people, he cannot say, 'go back to your country' or 'I don't care it's not my problem,' so we respond like Jesus that's what we're doing here."
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