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Want more details about what we do? Scroll below to find stories and the latest updates about how our work is helping make an impact. We invite you to learn more about our efforts and help spread the word about our important cause.

 Note: asylum seekers and other migrants encountered at the shelters are referred to by an initial or nickname to protect their privacy.

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8/4/26

SSF Shelter Report

Doug Schnare, Ángel Chevrestt, and I rode down to Sonoyta this morning. Rochi had warned us in a message before we arrived: “Carolina, when you're at the shelter, don't let the dogs stay close to you; they smell like a dead animal—they rolled around in a dead carcass.” When we pulled up to Casa del Migrante, all the dogs were lined up at the gate with tails wagging, but when it was opened, they took off up the hill, with only Panda lingering to greet us. Unfortunately, Panda was one of the main culprits! 

Rochi looks really good. I am happily surprised every time I see him. He has more bloodwork at the end of the month and is now beginning to rethink his decision to try the intravenous chemo. It’s a frightening choice to have to make. 

We brought a little collar and leash for new pup Esperanza. There is a free animal clinic now in Sonoyta, Patitas Seguras, and Rochi wants to get her to the clinic for her shots and, eventually, her spaying. The collar was too small, so Rochi will need to get her a larger one, but he’s feeling well enough to care for the dogs.

After paying the cable bill, we picked up seizure meds for one of the guests and then went to lunch (almost one-stop shopping, as there’s a pharmacy next to Stanza Restaurant). If you’re ever in Sonoyta, this is a great lunch restaurant with an extensive menu. Our waitress practiced her English on us - her mom is the English coach at her school. 

It was after lunch, at Bodega Aurrera grocery store, that things got interesting. First Rochi spotted a baby lizard in the coffee aisle running along the floor. He and another shopper caught it and placed it on a shelf next to the creamers so no one would step on it. Some shopper is due for a little surprise when they reach for the International Delight. 

While Rochi was on lizard rescue, a woman and teenage girl greeted Angel. They recognized him from late last year when he did a photojournalism project at Centro de Esperanza resource center. They told him that over the course of a few months between March and June of this year four families, 2 Ecuadorean and 2 Venezuelan, were told to leave Centro de Esperanza. At first the children continued to be able to receive meals at Centro, but that stopped at some point. 

The four families are renting places in Sonoyta, but the husbands are having difficulty finding work in Sonoyta’s depressed economy to cover rent and utilities. The woman said she has been taking her baby to La Linea (the road into Sonoyta just beyond the guard station) to beg. The teen with her was the daughter of one of the other families. SSF asked her to fill a shopping cart with necessities (plus cookies and some fun teen hair care products) and covered the cost. Rochi called them a taxi so they could get all their shopping back to the place they’re renting. The woman says only 2 families and 6 individuals remain at Centro de Esperanza. None of this is verified and we don’t know anything else about this situation. We do know that one teenage girl is going to have some fabulous hair!

Give someone a hug today and don’t let the bastards grind you down. 

- Carol

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7/28/26

SSF Shelter Report

Gene O’Meara dropped off donations the other day: lots of bottled water, canned goods, and clothing in great shape. This morning Jill Meierl and I brought those to Casa Del Migrante. 

We had an easy border crossing; I explained what we were doing, gave the guards 6 cold bottles of water, and they waved us through. We went directly to CDM where the guests unloaded all the donations except the clothes, which were intended for some unhoused migrants hanging out near Super Ley grocery store on the road to Puerto Peñasco. 

There are 6 guests this week at CDM. The two men from Guatemala have left to try to find work in Caborca. Sonoyta is very quiet these days without the income from the large numbers of migrants who previously passed through the town on their way north. Gallo has not returned in more than a month. He is due to travel north (with his passport) to pick apples in Yakima, Washington this fall, but Rochi thinks he is still working at a nearby ranch. A new guest arrived this morning, but after looking at his wounds, the manager sent him straight to the local clinic. He was still at the clinic during our visit, so we didn’t get to meet him. Rochi said the man had left the hospital in Tijuana against medical advice for an unknown reason; he thinks the man may have to return to that hospital if his wounds are that serious.

Rochi has agreed to try the intravenous chemotherapy with his next round of pills, though the idea of needles horrifies him as well as the stories he’s heard of side effects. He looks amazingly well for what he’s going through, and his hands and feet have improved greatly since the doctor cut him down from 7 daily pills to 6. He says the shoes Jan St Peters bought him feel like he’s walking on clouds ❤️.

The manager is still not married, and when I asked him about it, he laughed a little, shook his head, and put his wrists together as if they were manacled. He is hoping for an alternative - travel documents or the possibility of requesting asylum in Mexico. 

After lunch at Mr. Pancho’s, we found the unhoused migrants and handed the clothing directly to them. They are unable to stay at CDM due to problems with alcohol. And it may be that they sell the clothes for drink - once we give someone something, what they do with it is out of our control. I can’t say I wouldn’t be swimming in alcohol in their situation!

We stopped at the pharmacy for medications two of the guests had requested, then grocery shopped at Bodega Aurrera. This week instead of sandwiches, Rochi bought watermelon, extra hotdogs, buns, and all the fixings for a wienie roast. We couldn’t find pickles (pepinillos) anywhere in the store. We asked several people who worked there, but everyone said the store didn’t sell them. A woman shopping overheard Rochi asking, found the pickles, and brought a jar to him (they were next to the pickled pigs’ feet, of course😳).

Back at CDM the guests unloaded the groceries and after we helped Rochi put everything away, we said our goodbyes - “Hasta luego!” The cooler morning air after a hard rain had turned into a sweltering afternoon, and the car’s ac felt wonderful as we crossed back into the U.S. Every week I end with ‘Don’t let the bastards grind you down ‘ but it doesn’t seem like there ought to be anything left to grind. Yet here we are. 

​- Carol

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2/19/26

SSF Shelter Maintenance Report

Rick Weibel and Tom Wingo brought supplies and tools to Casa Del Migrante this morning for a work day. They replaced shower valves and a urinal valve, hung 2 smoke detectors (one in dorm #3 and one in the outer office area), wired a new light and switch over the cooking area, and set up a work station so the guests could build/replace the window screens in the dorms. 

More wiring remains to be done and more screen spline needs to be added, but today was a pretty good day.
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1/5/26

Hello Everyone! I hope all of you are well and enjoying time with loved ones. Here in Ajo, we are enjoying the quiet after the holidays and balancing news-viewing 😬 with trips out in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. 
 

2025 was a busy year for Samaritanos Sin Fronteras. Thanks to our supporters, SSF provided funds for ultrasounds, removal of a benign cyst in a CDM guest’s shoulder, dental extractions for 3 guests, dentures for 2 guests, treatment for amoebic dysentery, antibiotics for an extensive infection of the manager’s upper jaw and sinus, treatment for prostate issues, and over-the counter and prescription medications.

We were also able to purchase a new hot water heater and a new toilet for Casa Del Migrante, essential for health and comfort. 

With our weekly grocery runs, accompanied by CDM’s cook who made a list each week of needed items, we were able to buy food to supply approximately 5,840 meals, including special meal celebrations for Easter, Mexican Independence Day, and Christmas Eve. As part of the Christmas Eve celebration, due to generous donations, each guest received a complete set of new clothes in appropriate sizes: a warm jacket, pants, long-sleeved t-shirt, button-down long-sleeved shirt, underwear, socks, shoes, warm gloves, and a knitted hat, plus there was a fun raffle where each guest won a prize of his choice from food items and extra clothing. 

Animals: as of December, there are 9 dogs at CDM and 1 desert tortoise. SSF, vía Karla Vásquez and Clinica Esperanza, has had 8 of the 9 dogs spayed or neutered. The dogs have also had their shots, and SSF provides their food. If you’re looking for a good dog…..

SSF helped the shelter at the beginning of the year with an invasion of ticks and at mid-year with an invasion of bedbugs, providing chemicals and applicators to rid the shelter of creepy-crawlies. We also provided fly strips and mouse traps for ongoing pest control.

When a former CDM guest needed to return to his home country of Honduras to care for his ailing brother, SSF was able to help him with travel funds, and when a former resident of Casa San Pedro migrant shelter (now closed) whose family entered the US legally seeking asylum had a family member deported and subsequently murdered, SSF supporters raised funds to transport the body from Guadalajara to Guerrero, his mother’s home town, bringing a sad closure to an awful and unnecessary tragedy. 

We are continually amazed at the resilience and kindness of those we encounter at Casa Del Migrante, and at the generosity and support of good people all over the world. You are truly making a difference in the lives of folks who, for whatever reason, can’t reach home. People eat healthy food because of you, they have a comfortable place to stay, clean clothing, medical and dental care, and canine companions (and a tortoise!) to give them affection while they are deciding what to do next. Life is better for guests at Casa Del Migrante because of your support. Thank you.

Attached is our revenue statement for 2025.

Happy New Year, everyone, and don’t let the bastards grind you down. Together we can affect change❤️

- Carol​

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Note: If you are able, please consider a donation either via our website donate button, via Zelle [Samaritanos Sin Fronteras (413)695-9571], or as a check made out to Samaritanos Sin Fronteras/121 Rocalla Ave/Ajo, AZ 85321. Thank you for your continued support.

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Checks can be made out to 

Samaritanos Sin Fronteras 

c/o Doug Schnare, treasurer 

121 Rocalla Ave

Ajo, AZ 85321

Or we can accept Zelle (National Bank of Arizona) or PayPal on our website www.samsinfront.com) 

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Samaritanos Sin Fronteras Amazon wishlist:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/6SDJCN1N0XMX?ref_=wl_share

or if you’re in Ajo and have donations, contact one of the members of SSF who will be glad to deliver them. We all make a difference.

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We have the 2026 Candid Gold Seal of Approval:

https://app.candid.org/profile/15337525/samaritanos-sin-fronteras/?pkId=f10ec1df-6f76-48ce-8507-b32c69ef7ce7&isActive=true