U.S., Mexican Catholics meet at border to mark Day of the Migrant

Published: 2008-01-15

LAREDO, Texas (CNS) -- The travelers they came out to represent commonly move from one place to another on foot, so nearly 200 people in Laredo took to the streets and walked in observance of the Day of the Migrant ("Dia del Migrante") Jan. 13. The local observance of the international event began on the steps of Laredo's San Agustin Cathedral, just a block from the Rio Grande, the natural boundary that separates Texas and Mexico. The march followed on the heels of the Texas-Mexican border bishops' meeting held the previous day in Laredo. A similar group from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, began walking from the other direction. The two groups met for a balloon release, converging on the Convent Street bridge that joins the two countries. A Mass celebrated by the Texas and Mexican bishops followed on the banks of the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. "We're here to pray for all persons who come to the U.S. to get a better life," said Imelda Guzman, who came to the event with her husband, Rafael, and their four children. She and her immediate family are all U.S. citizens living in Laredo, but some of her in-laws and friends have traversed the border without documentation.

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