Border Crossing: Astounding Hope in Laredo

“Why are you here? Go back!” This is what Catherine Archer at the Holding Institute knew some local community members were thinking as they witnessed the influx of persons crossing the border and taking up residence in Laredo, Texas, last year. But if this was initial reaction, it was neither defining nor determinative of what would happen next. When those same local residents were able to put faces and names to the statistics and hear the stories of suffering, hope and yearning that the newcomers were bringing with them to the U.S., she found that, as was the case for many, “you soften a lot.” Resentment gave way to new relationships, and friendships formed to take the place of fear. Communities can be surprised by joy when relational borders, not just national ones, are crossed.