Pope Holds Mass at U.S.-Mexican Border Highlighting Refugees’ Plight

Rounding up his visit to Mexico, Pope Francis has held mass at the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight the plight of refugees, of which many come through and some strand in the north Mexican frontier city of Ciudad Juarez. Most migrants seeking a better life in the U.S. come either from Mexico itself or Central American countries, such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Those who manage to cross the border into the United States are often picked up by the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP). Figures released by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) suggest that the numbers of so-called Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) up to the age of 17 years crossing into the U.S. have starkly risen. The same applies to migrant families, relatives travelling together.

According to a press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken steps to expand the capacities to house those unaccompanied children. The USBP vows that it will “continue to aggressively work to secure our borders”, while also “ensuring that those with legitimate humanitarian claims are afforded the opportunity to seek protection”.