Danyelle Khmara from the Arizona Daily Star did a feature, April 7, on the Tucson migrant service at Casa Alitas and the Casa Alitas Drexel Center where Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Marlita Henseler works Wednesday through Friday each week. Sister reports that they are processing 300+ every day.

A few excerpts from the article follow: Pima County’s new migrant services site—run by Pima County and Catholic Community Services—is receiving a larger proportion of people from non-Spanish-speaking countries, following the Biden administration’s policy changes. It is currently receiving about 400 to 500 migrants a day. Women and children usually go to Casa Alitas or one of the county’s other locations, and single men stay at the new Drexel location.

Up to 85% of single men receiving services, most recently, are from India, says Teresa Cavendish, director of operations for Catholic Community Services. It also is receiving a significant number of migrants from African countries.

Besides more languages to navigate, the change in demographics at Casa Alitas and the Drexel Center means there are also added cultural accommodations to account for, especially in the different religious and spiritual practices.

Staff help the migrants with a number of important services, including assessing that they have the proper paperwork from border officials, whether they have a sponsor, and how they plan to arrive at their final destination.