S6E6: “Palm Sunday” with Michael DeBruhl, Shelter Director at Casa del Sagrado Corazón in El Paso, TX

The Jesuit Border Podcast

We are pleased to welcome Michael DeBruhl, the shelter director at Casa del Sagrado Corazón in El Paso, TX. Michael also worked as a Border Patrol agent for 25 years, so he brings a wealth of experience to the interview. He reflects on the dual desires of most Americans to both secure the border and provide welcome to migrants, and how those two desires do not have to be in direct opposition. He also comments on the current situation in El Paso, where the Texas Attorney General is launching an attack on Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants and asylum seekers on the border.

Brian and Joe reflect on Palm Sunday and the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, as we recall the palms laid before Jesus as he entered the city. Unfortunately, that is not the welcome most migrants receive upon entry into the U.S. Brian shares the story of an Ecuadorian father who had reached the U.S. with his son, but had an ankle monitor strapped to his leg and a credible fear interview scheduled in just ten days, not nearly enough time to seek the legal counsel that would best serve his case. It seems like an inconsistency between the values we profess as a country and the policies we enact. In contrast, Joe highlights the consistency of people like our guest, Michael DeBruhl, along with so many advocates on the border, and those who have visited us for immersion experiences. Of course, Joe can’t end without giving a shout out to his home Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, where parishioners have been sending us rosaries to share with migrants.