Participants in the Catholic Sisters Walking with Migrants immersion experience walk a path along the U.S.–Mexico border near the twin city of Nogales, which lies in both Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.
by Katie Anders, BVM
As I sat across the table from Juan in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, at the Kino Border Initiative, I realized within a few minutes that this encounter would stay with me for the rest of my life.
Here was a man, just a few years younger than me, with a spouse and children still in the United States who he may never see again. I did not need to say very much. What Juan really needed in that moment was someone to listen. He needed to share his story and not be labeled as a bad person for wanting more for his family.
What I saw when I looked at him was the face of God—a human being who was hurting from a traumatic experience and anxious about an uncertain future.
Walking With Migrants Through Immersion
Meeting Juan was part of the wonderful opportunity I was given at the end of January to learn about what it means to walk with migrants, especially those who are adversely affected by the immigration system. This week-long immersion experience, called Catholic Sisters Walking with Migrants, brought together a group of 11 sisters from different congregations across the country to live, learn, and pray together in the bi-national city of Nogales in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, and to experience both sides of the border.
Those leading this experience had three goals for the week: to humanize, to accompany, and to complicate. Our encounters over the next several days would help us to humanize all those involved, getting underneath the labels used in most media coverage. We would experience in a small way what it is like to accompany someone who is migrating. Our understanding of immigration would broaden and deepen as we discovered just how complicated this issue really is.
Seeing the Desert Through Migrants’ Eyes
We learned about the perspective and experience of the migrant by hiking on a trail in the Sonoran Desert, which is a beautiful landscape until you are forced to survive in it. It was a glimpse into the reality of people on the move through difficult terrain. We also learned how the cartel further complicates everything as they try to control who comes across the border.
At the Kino Border Initiative, we met people of all ages whose lives have been turned upside down by deportation. Sadly, many were not being deported back home—they were being deported from home after living in the United States for decades.
BVMs Katie Anders and Marguerite Murphy (front row, c.) begin a week of immersion experiences with Catholic Sisters Walking with Migrants and Kino Border Initiative.
Listening to All Sides
We listened and learned from people who experience the immigration system from the “other side” as well.
We met the owners of a 50,000-acre cattle ranch, the largest in the Southwest, with five miles of property that runs across the border. While they are strong supporters of the current administration’s immigration policies and practices, they also provide humanitarian aid when they can, and they speak with groups to educate people about immigration and its complexities.
We traveled to Tucson and watched a federal court hearing for a group who were being deported. We met with the judge, who shared how difficult his decisions can be, but that it is his duty to uphold the law. He emphasized that upholding the law doesn’t mean he can’t be compassionate and kind, honoring the dignity of the person in front of his bench. We also spent a morning with two border patrol agents. As we toured the station in Nogales, we listened to them share their experience of protecting the border.
These encounters stretched my mind and heart, not just from the perspective of the migrants but from all those involved. To humanize and accompany is not just about one group of people, which is one reason why this issue is so complicated. How do we uphold the dignity of all of those involved?
Artifacts are often left on the trail, including this cross beneath a tree.
A Lasting Impact
Five months later, this experience continues to impact me. When I hear and see immigration stories in the news, they bring me back to Juan’s story and his trauma and uncertain future. I am reminded of Carlos, the border patrol agent, and his call to uphold our laws. And Jim, the rancher who, despite his political stance, provides humanitarian aid to immigrants crossing his property.
All are the face of God. Their stories challenge me to not be too quick to judge and, at the same time, to be ready to
confront injustice.
I continue to reflect with gratitude on my experience in Nogales. The opportunity to walk with migrants and interact with others who are part of the immigration system heightened my understanding and called me to compassion for all while shining a light on the human complexities of the immigration system.
About the author: Katie Anders, BVM, is the Director of Spiritual Care at Mount Carmel Bluffs in Dubuque, Iowa.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2026 issue of SALT Magazine.
Summer Salt 2026: Hands, Heart, Ministry
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