ABBA House: Human Rights Advocates [] Rotary Club Presentation

Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende
– Rotario Midday, A.C. –

ABBA House:
Human Rights Advocates
Guest Speakers

Recorded: Tuesday, May 18, 2021

YouTube Link:  https://youtu.be/P3XTZhvr7dI

On May 18^th, a powerhouse team of human rights professionals joined Mid-Day Rotary.  This team supports persons migrating north for asylum from horrific threats or traveling south after being deported from the United States.

Stan Allen, Pastor Ignacio Martinez Ramirez, Rebecca Eichler and translator Caroline Fleming assist vulnerable, traumatized injured or ill immigrants who leave everything for a more secure future.  Mostly young men–husbands and fathers–arrive at the ABBA HOUSE in Celaya often robbed of belongings, rights and protections, seeking respite in their uncertain journeys.

Pastor Ignacio administers ABBA House, attends law school and serves an evangelical congregation in Celaya.  He once delivered food to migrants along the railroad tracks. Now he runs a bricks-and-mortar waystation for many hundreds of migrants per month. In March alone, they served 634 men, 31 women, and 54 minors.

ABBA House partners with the Red Cross to treat the brutal physical and psychological injuries incurred from accidents such as falls from La Bestia—the freight trains migrants ride going north and south.  Many lose their limbs and need costly prostheses and rehabilitation.  The shelter allows partial healing and a renewal of hope before the migrants continue their uncertain journeys.

Stan Allen, a licensed social worker, had a private practice and volunteered with the International Rescue Committee in Atlanta before moving to San Miguel 4 years ago.  He established and continues to administer the GoFundMe account for ABBA House and raised nearly $100,000 since its inception.  Those funds provide food, clothing, medical services and supplies.  Most weeks, Stan procures and delivers these necessities but equally as important, he offers personal support and compassion to residents.  (Donations may be made to www.gofundme.com/abba-house-sanctuary-for-migrants-and-families)

Rebecca Eichler, another committed volunteer, practiced immigration law for over 20 years in the US.  She’s on the board of the Latin American Relief Fund and is a partner of Eichler Wright PLC.  She holds a JD from William and Mary Law School and a Masters of Law in International Human Rights from the University of London.  She also chairs the legal committee of Caminamos Juntos in San Miguel which helps deported Mexicans and their US citizen families cope with their expulsion from the US and establish legal citizenship in Mexico where, despite their Mexican heritage, they may never have lived.  She’s one of the subjects in the upcoming documentary called “Las Abogadas” which follows several women attorneys in their work with humanitarian assistance.

They arrive in pain, swept up in grief and loss.  They gain strength and hope from one another with an astonishing resilience.  And in this presentation, our guest speakers helped us understand how these transitions are possible.

Rotary is where neighbors, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change.