Sra. Sánchez’s Albergue del Jesus el Buen Pastor has offered medical care and support to asylum seekers who have fallen ill or become injured during the dangerous trek to the U.S. Sánchez aids hundreds of individuals each month, and for her service has been recognized by a number of human rights organizations. 

Albergue del Jesus el Buen Pastor has become a home, albeit temporarily, to asylum seekers fleeing violence in Central America. The shelter has taken on many roles since its inception in the early 1990s under its matriarch, Olga Sánchez Martínez: shelter, clinic, and food pantry, serving between 300-400 individuals each month. Señora Sanchez’s shelter is located in Chiapas, a state on the Southern border of Mexico, and notoriously one of the most dangerous and grueling legs for asylum seekers traveling North. Much of Chiapas is controlled by Mara Salvatrucha, a gang that originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and has spread throughout the Western Hemisphere. MS’s brutality only aggravates the plight faced by those attempting the journey North. 

The most common route for asylum seekers is on top of La Bestia, the Beast, or La Tren de la Muerte, the Death Train, two terms for the series of trains that run from Southern Mexico to its northern border with the United States. The majority have attempted the 1450-mile journey through Mexico multiple times. A large percentage of those who seek asylum are children, unaccompanied by their parents, many of whom have already reached the United States in search of work in order to better support their relatives in Central America. Remittances, money sent to the home country from relatives living in a different nation, made up 20% of the respective GDPs of Honduras and El Salvador in 2018, as well as 12.2% of Guatemala’s GDP--the three countries with the highest rates of emigration to the U.S. Consequently, although the journey is risky, it has become crucial to the survival not only of families living within these countries, but also to the economies of each country. 

Riding on top of the train is incredibly treacherous. Beyond the risk of falling, many are injured, or lose limbs attempting to jump onto and off of moving train cars. There exists a constant danger of being beaten and robbed by gang members and lone criminals, who prey especially on women and children, or those traveling alone. Being apprehended by la migra, Mexico’s immigration police, or the local police within each state, is a perpetual danger for asylum seekers. Mexican immigration authorities have established checkpoints, and infiltrate trains, posing as migrants, in an effort to stem the flow of immigration. However, corruption abounds in Mexico’s police forces: asylum seekers and their relatives frequently face extortion from authorities. Mexico’s government has been making efforts towards curbing corruption. Yet, many incidents go unreported, and hostility towards Central American migrants often overwhelms the impetus to punish corruption. 

Amid the uncertainty and fear, Olga Sánchez Martínez’s shelter provides a glimmer of humanity. Much of her work is centered on nursing sick and injured individuals; she has helped dozens of migrants who have lost limbs secure prosthetics, each costing thousands of dollars. Señora Sanchez’s work is driven by her own health history; she suffered throughout her early life due to an infection she experienced at the age of 7, and was later diagnosed with cancer. Following her recovery, she dedicated her life to the service of others. On top of the prosthetics, she secures blood donations—and herself donates blood whenever possible—as well as medicine for those in need. About Sanchez, one of the shelter volunteers writes, “She is a great woman, an example for human beings and it is surprisingly incredible to listen to all of her experiences.” For her indispensable presence in the lives of thousands of asylum seekers, Olga Sánchez Martínez received the Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award in 2009, Mexico’s National Award for Human Rights, and was named Annunciation House’s Voice of the Voiceless in 2016. 

HALLIE GRIFFITHS is an undergraduate at the University of Virginia studying Foreign Affairs and Spanish. After graduation, she hopes to apply her passion for travel and social action toward a career in intelligence and policy analysis. Outside of the classroom, she can be found, quite literally, outside: backpacking, rock climbing, or skiing with her friends.