In early summer members of local faith-based organizations in Laredo, Texas didn't have a formal group or a plan. They heard that the bus station in the U.S. border city was filling up with Central American migrants, so they took food and hygiene products to them. They saw that no one else was helping.
The volunteers then formed the Laredo Humanitarian Relief Team after their mayor told local media that his city wouldn't use taxpayer money to deal with the influx of undocumented immigrants.
Relief Team Forms on Border When Public Funds Fall Short
1
After their release from federal detention, Ana shares a hug with her son at the Holding Institute in Laredo, Texas, Aug. 12, 2014. (VOA / V. Macchi)
2
Laredo Humanitarian Relief Team volunteers Blanca Bermudez and Mario Garcia await the arrival of a Central American family to the Holding Institute in Laredo, Texas, Aug. 12, 2014. (VOA / V. Macchi)
3
Pastor Mario Garcia loads a migrant family into his truck to get them food and a shower after they were released from federal detention, at the Holding Institute, Laredo, Texas, Aug. 12, 2014. (VOA / V. Macchi)
4
Boys playing at the Holding Institute, Laredo, Texas, Aug. 12, 2014. (VOA / V. Macchi)