Hudson Valley grannies travel to Texas-Mexico border
Grannies Respond's mission is to greet asylum seekers and raise awareness about their plight.
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14ds agoA group called Grannies Respond, or Abuelos Responden in Spanish, is returning to the Hudson Valley Thursday after spending a week on the Texas-Mexico border.
Their mission is to greet asylum seekers and raise awareness about their plight.
"It's very hard to hear their stories, it’s hard to know that the gang will come after an 8-year-old and tell the mother it’s time for training," said Catherine Cole, founding member and executive director of Grannies Respond/Abuelos Responden.
MORE: Watch Nadia Galindo's TikTok on this story
Cole spoke to News 12 from Brownsville, Texas on her final day in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Beacon woman said a group of Hudson Valley volunteers spent the week at migrant shelters assisting humanitarian groups there make meals and disperse supplies to migrants who recently crossed into Texas from Mexico.
"We've learned a lot, what can I tell you?" said Cole. "We've learned about the troubles people have and why they come here."
Grannies Respond was started in the Hudson Valley five years ago and has since grown into a national organization.
The group regularly greets asylum seekers arriving in New York City and the Hudson Valley.
This is the first time since the pandemic a group of volunteers has traveled to the border.
"I hope that we spread awareness of the situation, so people don't think of these people as criminals and brown to be X'd off," said Cole.
The trip has also served as a way to cut through the often-hateful reaction to asylum seekers by some Americans and show migrants compassion in a way only a grandma can.
