Border Immersion Experiences
Mercy sponsored trips to the US-Mexico border provide opportunities for learning, reflection and advocacy.
Border immersion trips are educational experiences. They are designed to prepare participants to return home and take action by raising awareness about immigration and its root causes, as well as engaging in advocacy for justice based immigration reforms.
The Mercy Justice Team is hosting two border immersion experiences in 2023:
June 4–9, 2023, El Paso, Texas, United States/Juárez, CI, Mexico, hosted by the Columban Mission Center. Special focus will be on U.S. policies contributing to the root causes driving migration.
October 1–6, 2023, Rio Grande Valley, South Texas (McAllen), hosted by ARISE and its Mercy associates. Special focus will be on the community-organizing work being done by ARISE.
For more information on these trips, view the informational flyer by clicking here, and click here when you’re ready to apply. Mercy staff members click here instead to apply. Contact the Mercy Justice Team with any questions at justice@sistersofmercy.org.

View a border immersion photo essay from staff person Cathy Walsh
Hear and read what participants and staff have to say about their border immersion experiences in these videos:
- Alice Worley Jones op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- Joanne Castner, Mercy Associate
- (Also, read Joanne’s op-ed posted in the Lancaster County News.)
- Jean Stokan, Mercy Justice Coordinator, part 1
- Jean Stokan, Mercy Justice Coordinator, part 2