Jesuit Priest's Border Ministry Amid Migrant Crisis

0:00For the past five years, Jesuit priest Brian Strasberger has served migrants along the U.S. Mexico border in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. He leads Del Camino Jesuit border ministries, offering mass and support to people on both sides, whether heading north as asylum seekers or south. After deportation, under the Trump administration, with far fewer border crossings, his focus has shifted to those detained in U.S. centers or stuck in Mexican shelters. Here this week, officials noted crossings have dropped sharply since President Trump declared a national emergency at the border in January. Back in 2023, nearly 2.5 million people arrived, seeking protections after pandemic rules ended, overwhelming shelters in, places like McCallan, Texas, and Renosa, Mexico. Strasberger's path to this work started unexpectedly. Raised in Colorado, the 41-year-old once planned to teach math and coach basketball, volunteering abroad shifted his view of priesthood as a calling to his best self.

1:02After training in Nicaragua, in a summer at a border initiative, he jumped at the chance to build Jesuit outreach here, guided by local needs. Now, he holds regular masses in two big Texas detention centers and shelters, like one in Matamoros, Mexico, for the newly deported. He meets families torn apart after decades in the U.S., like a woman with six American-born kids, or folks like William Queller, deported young and now rebuilding with family visits nearby. Sisters running these shelters praise his listening ear and empathy, bringing gospel hope amid the pain. As Strasberger puts it, faith offers steady companionship on these tough journeys north or south, reminding everyone they're not alone. That's your El Paso News today update, AI powered and always on.