On Texas border, volunteers get to work to help flood of immigrants
The old-fashioned trolley bus stopped just outside Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and eight or so passengers — new immigrants who had just stolen across the Rio Grande from Mexico — filed off, clutching water bottles and manila envelopes marked with their intended destinations in the U.S.
A man, frowning, headed for the door of the church with a young girl in tow. So did several women clutching children, looking dazed when a large group of volunteers suddenly stopped what they were doing and raised their hands in applause. "Bienvenidos," said one. Welcome. The new arrivals were ushered inside.
"This is the first experience a lot of people here have of meeting an American," explained Cesar Riojas, 50, one of hundreds of south Texas residents who have transformed the squat brick church hall here into a bustling support center for the hundreds of new immigrants now crossing into the U.S. from Mexico each week.
"I put myself in their position," Riojas said. "How would I want to be treated?"
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