Donate to help us care for detainees left without food or water
Hundreds of migrants, mostly Guatemalans and Hondurans, have been passing through Jackson on Greyhound buses, traveling from ICE detention centers in Texas to locations east of the Mississippi River. Most of the adult detainees (who have immigration court hearing dates in the future) have been fitted with ankle monitors, released by ICE, and dropped at Greyhound stations. Many of them are traveling with babies and young children on long journeys to stay with family members in Alabama, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington DC.
The problem, as we understand it, is that detainees from ICE facilities in Dilley, TX and Karnes City, TX are shunted directly onto busses, and are not given food, water, or supplies for the trip (although detainees from McAllen TX have it better: there’s a shelter run by Catholic nuns where migrants can shower and have food and water for the journey, before getting on the buses). The bus route is long and has many stops; by the time migrants are in Jackson, they have been on the bus for almost 24 hours. Most of the migrants have little to no money to purchase food or drink, so by the time the arrive in Jackson, they are extremely hungry and thirsty.
MIRA and allies have been meeting detainees at least once daily at the Greyhound bus depot in Jackson during their 1-hour layover, and providing the families with food and water. MIRA members have packed bags with fresh fruit, meal bars, applesauce, crackers, and other portable food items. MIRA Executive Director Bill Chandler and MIRA Legal Project Director Atty. Patricia Ice have spent time meeting with the migrants; during the holidays, Jacquie Amos (the State Field Director for the Mississippi Democratic Executive Committee) also brought food, warm clothing, and toys for the children.
Between ten and forty migrants ride on each of the 2 buses that arrive daily, and MIRA is spending about $50 per day to provide for the travelers. This cost is adding up! We need your financial support to continue this program – please donate to help us continue this important work. Please give as generously as you can, but remember that every donation is helpful, no matter how small.