Arrival: March 10, 2024
Departure: March 16, 2024
Violence, persecution, economic instability, climate change, and COVID-19 are forcing thousands of people from Mexico, Central America, Haiti, and other places in crisis to flee their homes.
Although the United States is often the destination for these migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced people, Mexico, which has one of the most complex migration corridors in the world, has also become an important destination for people on the move.
Mexico is receiving historic numbers of new asylum claims, making Mexico the third largest recipient of new asylum claims in the world and straining its humanitarian infrastructure. U.S. border policies intended to deter migration, such as Title 42 and the “Remain in Mexico Program,” have placed hundreds of thousands of people into extremely vulnerable situations along Mexico’s borders. Border reception centers on both sides of the border have seen record numbers, are at maximum capacity, and lack the resources needed to provide basic humanitarian services.
IRC aims to ensure the survival of emergency-affected people in a way that enables their safety, dignity, and empowerment including safe, orderly, humane reception for migrants, asylum-seekers, and others on the move in Mexico and the United States. Based on the identified and expected needs, IRC is scaling up its current Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration (RAI) programs in the U.S. and IRC Mexico to meet the immediate needs at the border and assist those as they move to their final destination.
Established in 2019, IRC Mexico provides the following services:
Economic Well-Being
We create opportunities for our clients to engage in safe and decent work and overcome barriers to employment. We deliver cash assistance to improve their livelihood opportunities, as well as training on financial management so that they can prosper and be self-sufficient in the long term.
Women's Protection and Empowerment
We assist women, girls, and the LGBTQI+ community to seek protection from harm, build safer societies, achieve economic well-being, and understand their rights. We support local partners to provide a timely and qualified response, and prevention services for gender-based violence and implement community-based activities.
Resettlement and Integration
Our services include local integration and cultural orientation support and training activities for persons waiting to be relocated, or for those who have decided to remain in Mexico.
Child Protection
We make certain that children are safe, can exercise their rights and are cared for, ideally in a family or family-like environment that promotes their development. To achieve this, we collaborate with children and their families, civil society organizations, members of the community, and government actors.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
We aim to alleviate the negative effects that conflict and forced migration have on people’s mental health and well-being. We ensure that people and families can receive care and treatment and provide community members with tools to support the well-being of others.
Information Access
We provide timely and accurate information on migratory and other administrative processes, public health services, emergency numbers, or shelter locations.
IRC’s Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration (RAI) program in Phoenix, Arizona provides the following services:
Resettlement
- Reception & Placement Program for Vulnerable Populations
- Family Reunification
- Cultural Orientation & Integration
- Community Sponsorship
Safety & Wellness
- Anti-Trafficking Program
- Survivors of Torture Program
- Asylum Case Management
- The Arizona Asylum Network
- The Wellness Program
- Victim Support Services
New Roots Farm
- Urban Farming & Community Gardening
- Farmer Training Program
- Camel Backyard Community Food Hub
- Navigating a New Food System Program
Education
- English Language & Citizenship
Integration Services
- Refugee Social Services
- Refugee Cash Assistance
- Intensive Case Management
Asylum Seekers & Family Program
- Phoenix Welcome Center for Asylum Seekers
Economic Empowerment & Employment Services
- Consumer Lending
- IDA Matched Savings Program
- Microenterprise Development
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
- Financial Capability
- Community Navigator Pilot Program
Community Integration
- Immigration Core Legal Services
- Arizona Legal Center for Immigrant Communities
- Interpretation
- Afghan Parolee Legal Services
The physical intensity level for this visit is moderate, expect an average level of walking and standing. Programs require significant travel by land and air.
Day 1: Arrival
- Arrival in Mexico City, Mexico
- Fly to Tapachula (2 hrs)
- Overnight stay in Tapachula
Day 2: Tapachula
- Breakfast and context briefing
- Visit the border with Guatemala
- Visit the IRC Mobile Emergency Response Team
- Learn about the registration process at the Comisión Mexicana de
Ayuda a Refugiados (COMAR) office in Tapachula - Lunch with clients at the IRC office in Tapachula
- Fly to Mexico City (2 hrs)
- Dinner and overnight stay in Mexico City
Day 3: Mexico City
- Visit the Mexican Refugee Agency for a tour and meeting with high level representatives
- Split group to visit migrant shelters
- Lunch at IRC office with clients
- Fly to Ciudad Juárez (1.5 hrs)
- Dinner and overnight stay in Ciudad Juárez
Day 4: Ciudad Juárez
- Visit the border with the U.S. and surrounding informal camps
- Visit community center and community kitchen to see IRC information session and Signpost information sharing platform, Info Digna
- Lunch with community leaders at IRC office
- Split group for visits to shelters to see IRC’s Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection, and Border Reception Capacity Building activities
- Visit former migratory station
- Drive across the border to El Paso
- Dinner with IRC cross-border and asylum staff and overnight stay in El Paso
Day 5: Travel Day
- Fly to Phoenix (1.5 hrs)
- Dinner with IRC Phoenix staff
Day 6: Phoenix
- Breakfast, context briefing, and tour of the Phoenix Welcome Center for Asylum Seekers
- Lunch at IRC client refugee-owned restaurant
- Visit aquaponics nursery and meet farmers at IRC New Roots Camelbackyard Community Food Hub
- Tour of the IRC Phoenix refugee programs
- Dinner and overnight stay in Phoenix
Day 7: Departure
FEE: $3,750 USD
Your registration, including a non-refundable deposit, reserves your spot and commits you to the trip if it moves forward.
The trip fee covers:
- Three meals per day, accommodations, domestic air travel, road travel, permits, and entrance fees
- Pre-departure support
Please note air travel to and from the region(s) are not included in the above fee. A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 USD is required to reserve a spot on this visit.
What is a delegation visit?
Donor Delegation Trips are quarterly pre-planned, fee-based group trips of 5 to 10 participants to destinations prioritized based on funding needs and accessibility.
What is IRC’s COVID-19 policy regarding the delegation visit?
IRC puts forth the greatest possible effort to provide a safe and secure operational environment. However, given the nature of our work, participants on the trip may be exposed to healthcare risks, including but not limited to the risk of communicable diseases such as COVID-19. While IRC communicates and expects all operating partners to comply with and encourage appropriate safeguarding measures, the risk of COVID-19 and other potentially infectious diseases still exists. Visitors are required to review the medical guidelines that are provided by IRC prior to participating in the trip and to carefully consider them as they relate to your own medical profile and medical risk tolerance levels.
Can I bring my spouse or child(ren) on the delegation visit?
Yes, a spouse or partner is welcome to join you for this visit. Please register separately so that required forms may be completed by each individual participant.
IRC cannot host children on our program visits because our Safety and Security measures are not designed with children in mind, and cannot reasonably be adapted to ensure children’s safety.
After the visit, a trip summary, as well as photos and videos from the visit will be shared with all trip participants, which can then be shared with family, friends, and stakeholders of foundations and partners who were unable to join.
What happens after I register?
Immediately after you register, you will receive an email from the IRC's Program Visits team. This will be your primary contact for trip-related questions or concerns in advance of the visit. Before the visit, you will receive many resources to support your preparation process (see the response to the question below “Are there resources to help me prepare for the upcoming visit?”)
I would like to see specific a program during the delegation visit — can you help coordinate that?
Trip registrants should assume that the itinerary shared with their invitation is the itinerary for their visit, for all intents and purposes. The itinerary is shared at this stage to help set expectations around the locations and program types to be seen, and the pace of the visit. Making changes to meet the interests of individual participants will make it impossible to set realistic expectations.
That said, the itinerary distributed with the invitation is tentative and subject to changes at any time due to circumstances out of our control, such as weather, politics or safety. The itinerary is designed by the hosting country and program teams based on accessibility of programs and priority of funding needs, with the objective of showing as many program highlights as possible.
We aim to avoid having idle time, ensure travel routes are safe and destinations are secure, and recommend flight arrival and departure windows to ensure the best experience.
Are there resources to help me prepare for the upcoming visit?
Immediately after you register for your trip, you will be contacted by the Program Visits team. This will be your primary contact and provide any support you will need in advance of the visit, such as visa invitation letters, flight recommendations, and itinerary updates. Several weeks before your trip, you will receive a Pre-departure Briefing containing history of the regional crisis and IRC’s response efforts, IRC emergency contact information, packing list, safety precautions and cultural norms to be aware of, IRC reports and information sheets, as well as additional recommended readings. Several days before your trip, you will participate in a mandatory Safety and Security briefing with the Program Visits team and the local Security officer from the region you will be visiting.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
During the registration process, we ask about any dietary restrictions or preferences. Within reason, most dietary needs can be accommodated during delegation trips and if for some reason this is impossible, the registrant will be notified in advance of the trip. Because IRC operates in many remote locations, there will likely be limited options for meal alternatives at some points during the trip, and therefore it is important to be prepared for the likelihood of meal repetition.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
If you would like to cancel your participation in the trip, contact Program.Visits@rescue.org. In your email, please indicate whether you would like a partial refund (see below for our refund policy) or prefer to donate the refundable portion of your trip fee. If you opt to donate the refundable portion of your trip fee, the donation will be allocated to the hosting IRC country office and a thank you letter and tax receipt will be emailed to the cancelled registrant.
Refund policy: In order to register for the trip, a non-refundable deposit is required. This amount is different for each trip and can be found on the trip invitation and registration page. The deposit cannot be refunded for any reason, other than IRC has cancelled or postponed the trip. The remaining balance of the trip fee may be refunded if the registrant cancels more than 45 days prior to the trip arrival date. Within 45 days of the trip, IRC may have already incurred expenses related to domestic air and land travel, accommodations, and other non-cancellable charges, which the registrant may be held responsible for. Any refunds will be applied back to the credit card used to pay for the trip fee.
When would IRC cancel a donor delegation program visit?
IRC will cancel a donor delegation program visit if the number of registrants does not meet the threshold for covering trip costs and allowing for a minimum donation size to the hosting country program. A visit may also be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances related to safety, or changes in the hosting country program staff capacity.
How many spots are available?
There are 6 spots available for this visit on a first come, first served basis. When the trip is full, a waitlist will open.
What are IRC’s safety and security protocols during a visit?
IRC Safety and Security has a global network of professional security officers, including a local IRC security team that provides advance checks of the routes and locations where we host our visitors. The IRC provides 24/7 ongoing monitoring of traffic, politics, weather and other potential security obstacles, and are on-call 24/7 via cell phone for any security concerns throughout the visit. A mandatory on-arrival briefing will be provided to all the visitors, which will cover travel to the program sites, a communications plan, and IRC local safety and security measures.