My time spent at The 72 Shelter for Migrants (La 72 Hogar Refugio Para
Personas Migrantes) in Tenosique, Tabasco was life-changing. As part of
last summer’s Chiapas Human Rights Practicum, classmate Jordan Malka and
I interned at a human rights organization and lived in San Cristóbal de
las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. With the help of Chiapas program creator
and director Professor Leonard Cavise and past Chiapas program
participant Katherine Faydash, we were able to visit the migrant house.
Jordan Malka ('15) and Marie Silver ('15) pose with a volunteer during a visit to La 72 Shelter for Migrants in Tabasco, Mexico.Faydash, who now resides in Mexico,
introduced us to local human rights activist and artist Saul Kak, a
volunteer at The 72. Jordan and I arranged a visit to the shelter with
Kak’s help and were struck by the work of the people at The 72 and the
hardships faced by the migrants staying there. We were inspired to help.
Upon return to Chicago, we organized a fundraiser to support the
shelter. On February 28, we held an event at Bottom Lounge in Chicago,
in coordination with DePaul’s Society for Asylum and Immigration Law,
International Law Society, National Lawyers Guild, Latino Law Students
Association, Journal for Social Justice and Center for Public Interest
Law. The event was a great success, raising $2,000 to send to the house
to help provide food, clothes, medical supplies and other necessities.
At the fundraiser, we spoke about the shelter and the dangers
migrants face journeying through Mexico to the United States. Jordan
explained that many migrants travel atop a large freight train known as
La Bestia, or “The Beast,” which runs from the south of Mexico all the
way north to the United States. As its name suggests, the train is
extremely perilous: numerous train accidents occur, causing migrants to
fall and get injured or sometimes killed. Additionally, many migrants
fall victim to organized crime groups who brutally kidnap, attack or
sexually assault those traveling on top of the train. In fact, The 72
Shelter is named after the 2010 massacre of a group of 72 migrants who
were kidnapped by members of Los Zetas, one of Mexico’s most powerful
drug cartels, in the state of Tamaulipas.
I discussed the services the shelter provides to migrants at the
outset of their journey. Fray (Brother) Tomás González Castillo, of the
Franciscan Province San Felipe de Jesús in the southeast of Mexico, is
the director of The 72 Shelter. He and others from his order, in
collaboration with another human rights organization, opened the shelter
in 2011. In addition to providing for the basic necessities of more
than 300 migrants daily, Fray Tomás, a few other Franciscan brothers,
and a group of volunteers work day and night to provide medical
attention, psychological services and group counseling to prepare
migrants for the dangerous trip ahead. They also organize
culture-sharing and solidarity activities. Finally, the shelter provides
legal orientation for migrants seeking available legal remedies.
Following the presentation, various items were raffled, including an
iPod Touch and a three-month membership at Wicker Park Fitness. The
event culminated in a live auction for a weeklong vacation at a luxury
resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. All of the students who helped
make the fundraiser possible were pleased with the turnout. Fray Tomás
was very grateful for the donation as well, saying, “I thank you all a
lot for your efforts and everything you do for The 72 and the people who
stay with us.”
“The event was a chance to both get informed and take action for
migrants in Mexico,” said ILS board member Katie Filous. “We often hear
about immigration issues once people arrive in the U.S., but we don’t
hear about the trials they faced getting here.”
Third-year law student Andréa Sinacola was also enthusiastic. “This
event really opened my eyes to the situation in Mexico and what DePaul
students are doing to fight for migrants on a very dangerous journey to
the United States,” she said. “This event was a great way to showcase
the talents of DePaul law students and give information and fundraise
for a worthy cause.”
For more information, or if interested in donating to The 72 Shelter,
please contact Marie Silver at mariesilver2@gmail.com, or visit the
shelter’s English-language website.