5 questions we’ve been asked in 2025

1.) How is Abara’s team doing?

Living personal and vocational life on the border is complicated sometimes, but in a deeper way, it’s simple. We love this community. We love our neighbors, we love our city, and we’re choosing resilient hope. As we often say, “the border is joy”—a place where sorrow and struggle exist alongside celebration, rest, and beauty. Life here holds both tension and wonder, and we’d love for you to experience it with us.

This season has brought a heaviness – fear over immigration enforcement, sadness over hateful words, a sense of anxiety about how the story is going to play out. There are days where it feels like we’re shouting into the void, or like this work doesn’t matter. But there are also days when the work, and the community around it (you!) soars above the muck and mire.

Abara, located at a crossroads of North America, is uniquely positioned to address the root causes of migration. This is because we reach into the United States to shift narratives, inspire communities, and build peace in a divided world. At the same time, we extend across borders into the Americas and along global migrant pathways, walking alongside leaders and families experiencing forced displacement.

2.) How do recent immigration changes impact Abara’s work?

Abara’s mission remains the same—we continue our work with the same 3 core focuses, though shifts in immigration policy do impact some aspects of our daily efforts.

3 core focuses:

1. A peace-building center on an ancient border crossing where people can connect, learn, and take meaningful action.

2. Immersive experiences that foster understanding and empathy on the US-Mexico Border.

3. Partnering with shelters to provide care and resources to displaced neighbors.

The situation in El Paso is constantly evolving. In recent years, several hundred migrants per day have been released by Border Patrol into the local shelter system to connect with sponsoring communities across the U.S.—a process that has been in place for over 50 years. Immigration authorities have conducted Credible Fear Interviews for those seeking asylum, evaluating claims based on persecution related to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group (PSG), in line with international asylum law.

Since January 20th (and in some ways, before), the pathways to seek asylum have been almost completely closed. The CBP-1 app has been discontinued, and various US military forces (National Guard, Texas DPS, deployed US troops) guard the border around the clock. Without CBP-1, the only way for an individual to seek international protection is to set foot on US soil – not jumping the fence, but taking a step over that invisible line in the dry riverbed. But the river bed is full of razor wire, and there are young men with guns standing on the other side.

Our sister city has been actively preparing for mass deportations, as well as to care for those arriving at the border. The Mexican federal government has an extensive plan to welcome returned Mexican citizens – including a tent shelter that can house 2,500 individuals, assistance with recovering documents, finding work, and returning to their home states.

3.) Where does Abara get its funding?

You may have heard about international organizations losing funding. Thankfully, Abara does not rely on federal funds, including USAID, so we have not been directly impacted. However, the need for monthly and annual support is growing, especially as we look to sustain and expand efforts in Ciudad Juárez. Faith communities and NGOs are preparing to welcome many who have been deported to Mexico and cannot return to their countries due to credible fear claims.

Abara is primarily funded by:

• Individuals

• Faith Communities

• Foundations

• Businesses

Our work is especially supported by generous individuals and foundations who share our commitment to walking alongside displaced people. Given the shifting dynamics on the border and the additional pressures that Ciudad Juárez will be facing with deportees, we anticipate the border response needs to be around 275k in 2025.

4.) What can I do to help?

There are several impactful ways to support Abara’s work along the border:

• Juárez Border Response – While Abara is not a shelter, we work closely with more than a dozen shelters in Juárez and the remaining shelters in El Paso, responding to urgent needs and strengthening their capacity. Learn about our current needs here, and then make a donation to the  Migrant Assistance Fund – your contributions provide direct support for food, shelter, medical care, and essential services for displaced individuals and families.

• Peace Building Center on the Border – Help us establish a space dedicated to healing, training, and fostering Beloved Community—a place for connection, learning, and advocacy in response to migration and displacement.

• Walking with Humility in a Divided World – In a time of deep division, Abara seeks to listen first, standing in solidarity with those impacted by xenophobia and harmful narratives. We are committed to learning from and walking alongside those at the margins with a posture of humility and a desire to build understanding.

Your support—whether through giving, visiting, or sharing our mission—makes a tangible difference in the lives of those at the border.

5.) Why should I give to Abara vs. directly to a migrant shelter?

Both are valuable ways to help, and giving to Abara allows you to support a broader, more strategic impact. Because we live and work in the borderlands, we have deep, trusted relationships with local shelters and communities. This allows us to respond to real-time needs while also addressing the bigger picture—helping to shape narratives, advocate for systemic change, and expand the capacity of those on the front lines.

Your support of Abara helps:

• Meet urgent needs while maintaining dignity and respect for displaced people, strengthening shelters by providing resources, training, and capacity-building.

• Bridge the gap for individuals and groups who want to help but aren’t set up to directly assist across the border.

• Ensure discernment while acting with urgency in responding to the most pressing needs in a rapidly changing environment. Abara also works toward long term solutions to migration.

Giving to Abara means investing in both immediate relief and sustainable, long-term change. Thank you for walking beside Abara. We dream of a world without “others,” where fear gives way to connection, and every person’s humanity is fully honored.