The majority of people arriving at Annunciation House come after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the US Border Patrol. The organisation provides food, water, shelter, family reunification, and referral to legal and medical services. Annunciation House operates on both sides of the Mexico-US border.
History
Foundation
Discussions concerning the founding of Annunciation House began in 1976. The founding principles included that any services and facilities provided through the shelter would be free, that those involved in the operation of the shelter would be unpaid, and the shelter would rely on donations rather than permanent funding sources. Additionally, services were to be offered to people who were not supported by existing programs. In practice, this would include the homeless poor, and undocumented people. The first location was acquired in autumn 1977, through the Diocese of El Paso loaning a vacant building. The first volunteers moved into the building on February 3, 1978. In the early 1990s, Annunciation House developed a program called the 'Border Awareness Experience' which facilitated encounters between participants, people, and groups on both side of the US-Mexican border.
The Shooting of Juan Patricio Peraza
On February 22nd, 2003, a 19 year-old undocumented person from Mexico who was staying at Annunciation House, Juan Patricio Peraza, was shot and killed near to the shelter by a Border Patrol agent. At 9:00AM, Juan Patricio Peraza was disposing of trash outside of the shelter when he was stopped and questioned by two uniformed Border Patrol agents. Juan Patricio then fled when a volunteer came outside to ask what was happening. A Border Patrol agent caught Juan Patricio and hit his head with a baton. Juan Patricio continued to flee and found a steel pipe which he raised above his head. The agent who was present did not shoot but called for backup. Four other agents then arrived and surrounded Juan Patricio. A sixth agent, Vernon Billings, then arrived and after 45 seconds he fired two shots at Juan Patricio. During the 2008 civil trial which followed the shooting, Harold Brown, a lawyer representing the Border Patrol agents, “argued that every agent at the scene that day would have been justified in shooting Peraza. That they didn't, he told the judge, doesn't make Billings' decision wrong.” By comparison, a lawyer for Juan Patricio Peraza’s family argued that: "The evidence is overwhelming that what happened in this case is Agent Billings turned a foot chase into a shooting,". The incident drew widespread condemnation from civil and religious community leaders, and is frequently cited as an example of the militarization of the US-Mexico border region and the disproportionate use of violence by law enforcement personnel against migrant communities.
Recent Developments
As a result of its front-line involvement in providing shelter and resources to migrants and homeless people in El Paso, the organisation has received national attention from migrant rights groups who have encouraged donations to the organisation, both financially and in the form of voluntary labour.
In Academic Writing
Annunciation House is sometimes pointed to as an example of how migrant shelters operate in a so-called 'grey area' by both working in co-operation with law enforcement, and also providing assistance to people who are considered "illegal immigrants" by the state. Annunciation House has been used as a case study by several scholars who are interested in this dynamic.
