Scalabrinianas Misión con Migrantes y Refugiados

LOCATION: Mexico City, Mexico

The Scalabrinianas Misión con Migrantes y Refugiados (Scalabrinian Mission with Migrants and Refugees; SMR) is a faith-based civil association based in Mexico City led by an executive council of Scalabrinian sisters providing comprehensive accompaniment to people in migration who are also experiencing conditions of vulnerability in Mexico. They operate an orientation office in the southern border city of Tapachula and have offices and run a shelter in Mexico City, where they provide direct services (legal, psychological, medical, dental, social and labor force integration, housing, food, and other assistance) to children, adolescents, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people in migration.

SMR’s mission also includes the work of supporting migrant houses and shelters and defenders of the human rights of migrating people by directly providing, free legal representation, consulting, training, and equipment that help them continue to provide humanitarian aid to people in migration who are traveling through high-risk communities. 

To do this, SMR collaborates in national and regional networks alongside organizations that defend the rights of migrants and migrant defenders, contributing documentation and participating in advocacy with the Mexican government to help strengthen responses to the realities of migration in Mexico.

SMR says, “We do not try to stop migration nor promote it. We work to guarantee the right to a dignified life wherever people are and to protect other defenders aligned with our mission.”

A partner since 2016, UUSC has supported SMR’s specialized attention to women and children in migration and those who have been victims of human rights violations. Most recently, UUSC has also provided support for SMR’s newest legal assistance office at Mexico’s southern border, as well as emergency funding to respond to the continuing impacts of COVID-19.

Image Credit: Scalabrinianas Misión con Migrantes y Refugiados