Pope Francis Concludes His Mexico Trip At The Border

By Mónica Ortiz Uribe
February 16, 2016
Immigrant
Mónica Ortiz Uribe
Immigrant families put up a message on the border fence ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Ciudad Juárez.

Pope Francis concludes his journey across Mexico Wednesday with a visit to the U.S./Mexico border where hundreds of immigrant families will await his blessing from just across the Rio Grande.

Francis will spend his last day in Ciudad Juárez, a city recovering from a period of intense drug violence. He'll start by greeting prisoners at the state jail then move on to speak to a group of business leaders and workers.

At the end of the day he'll approach the international boundary where he'll pray before an audience of immigrant women, children and asylum seekers just beyond the border fence. Community organizations in El Paso made the arrangement possible in coordination with federal authorities.

With his visit to the border, the pope continues to highlight the plight of migrants around the world. In a speech before the U.S. congress last fall he urged lawmakers to enact humane policies on immigration.