As the socially responsible investing program for the Sisters of Mercy, the Critical Concerns are deeply woven throughout Mercy Investment Services’ shareholder advocacy and impact investing. This spring, 35 members of Mercy Investment Services’ Social Responsibility Committee, Mercy Partnership Fund Subcommittee and staff participated in a border immersion experience in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to further explore the critical concern of immigration. Aided and accompanied by the Institute Justice Team’s Jean Stokan, the three days included visits to migrant shelters, conversations with those ministering directly to migrants and a trip to the border wall. Russell Beckham, impact and loan administration analyst for Mercy Partnership Fund, and Maxwell Homans, shareholder advocacy associate, reflect on how their border immersion experiences shape Mercy’s work on immigration. You can read a full recap and view a short video of the experience.
Russell Beckham
During our trip, we were faced with the challenge of encountering the immense grief and trauma that migrants experience. But the deeper challenge, beyond seeing the immigration issue, was processing the deep scars of racism and violence within our collective legacy. Meeting families attempting to make the dangerous journey toward a better future left me questioning the complexities of a dehumanizing system and looking for ways our work could reduce forced displacement in areas where it would be most impactful for generations to come.
When refugees and displaced families are forced to flee their country of origin, they are also forced to abandon the stability of their homes, careers, support networks and local communities. Many migrants are excluded from legal and financial systems in the United States, which limits their access to housing, transportation, education, food or health care. Mercy Partnership Fund supports organizations assisting migrants and refugees who reach the U.S. in accessing financial services to gain citizenship, acquire auto or business loans, receive quality education, achieve homeownership and reach economic stability. Mercy Partnership Fund also supports the work of organizations such as the Kiva Refugee Investment Fund, which provides loans to create economic opportunities within countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Rwanda, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. These organizations work toward empowering women, supporting communities vulnerable to climate change, offering resettlement supports throughout the journey, and creating economic opportunities that help people stay in their communities. Seeing the impact of migration on the families traveling to the United States firsthand will continue to guide the work of Mercy Partnership Fund in support of immigrants’ dignity and well-being.
Maxwell Homans
After the border immersion experience, I feel a responsibility to answer the call to action from Ruben Garcia, executive director of Annunciation House based in El Paso. He implored us to tell our neighbors what we saw and to separate the humanity of immigration from political discourse. During our visit, I met migrants and heard their stories, building a better understanding of the journey required to reach America. Juliet and Alejandra came from Venezuela to Sacred Heart Parish shelter in El Paso and looked to be in their late teens. Despite having just persevered through months of peril, they were filled with hope and joy, excited to leave for Chicago and then Missouri, a world of opportunity awaiting. We laughed and connected as human beings, even though we shared little in common on the surface.
In my work, I’ve learned that many migrants are much less fortunate. Through our shareholder advocacy ministry, we engage GEO Group, a private prison company that owns 18 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers holding civil detainees until their immigration court hearings. In their detention centers, migrants have suffered from lack of nutritious food, unsanitary conditions and use of tear gas, leading to at least seven detainee hunger strikes in 2023. This treatment is unacceptable for any person, and it is inexplicable for migrants not convicted of a crime. As I engage GEO Group to improve conditions and uphold the Congress-mandated Performance Based National Detention Standards, I’ll carry with me teenagers like Juliet and Alejandra who could have ended up there. The opportunity to encounter them in El Paso and learn about migrants’ struggles has deepened my devotion to immigration as one of the Critical Concerns.
To learn more about how Mercy Investment Services addresses the Critical Concerns through our investments, visit our website.