Nogales celebrates Christmas with border posada

Led by children dressed as angels, dozens of families and residents — including migrants marooned in Mexico—celebrated a binational Christmas tradition this weekend, walking along the tall wall separating the twin cities of Nogales, on the border between Sonora and Arizona.

Called Las Posadas, or “The Inns” in Spanish, is a religious and cultural tradition that depicts Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe
place to give birth to their son, Jesus. For the last several years, this posada has been hosted by the Kino Border Initiative — a Catholic humanitarian organization that aids people deported from the U.S. and families who landed in the city.

“Posada season takes on a very different tone for those who are far from
their homes and communities who now find themselves in Nogales, Mexico,” said KBI in a statement. “Countless migrants have arrived this year to the U.S.-Mexico border
seeking the very refuge that the Holy Family once sought long ago.” 

Saturday’s celebration came at the end of a year marked by the Trump administration’s crackdowns on immigrants, including blocking asylum seekers who want refuge in the U.S. while deporting people pursuing their cases in the U.S., and removing thousands more with raids in major cities.

Just outside the Dennis DeConcini border crossing in Sonora, the celebrants formed up and listened to speeches and prayer. Nogales’ Bishop José Luis Cerra Luna was joined by Gerald Kincanas, the bishop emeritus of Tucson.

“This journey of Joseph and Mary, with Jesus in her womb, struggle to find hospitality and their solidarity with the poor as Mary gave birth to their son in a manger: this is the story of faith that motivates us, and which we celebrate today,” said Kincanas. He noted Pope Francis’ own statement about migrants, and said those assembled outside the port should think of “all those people who ‘also at this moment are crossing seas and deserts to reach a land where they can live in peace and security.'”

That statement was a running theme at each of the stations the group stopped at as they headed along the border, backed by songs. At one station, a reader told the story of Fernando who was in detention in Florence, Ariz. He called immigration detention a “living hell.”

“I am not a criminal,” Fernando had told the KBI. “I’ve been away from my children for far too long. I long with all my heart to see them and hug them again. They and my wife and my reason for living.”

Similarly, a reader repeated the story of Claudia, who said she traveled through several countries before reaching Mexico. “We left our country because of the cruel prosecution of my family members by that government,” she had told KBI. “That feeling  of defeat was overwhelming when we arrived in Nogales and couldn’t continue toward our final goal.”

She said she faced extortion and mistreatment in Nogales, but despite this “we never lost faith in God and waited with hope for a better time to continue our journey to the other side because we all deserve a peaceful future.”

KBI said they served 100,000 meals to migrants, and on average families sought help at the shelter for nearly 200 days.

“In 2025, we didn’t just see new faces—we saw familiar ones, week after week, month after month,” said KBI. “The average migrant spent over 200 days receiving services, making Kino not just a stopover, but a full season of life. People came for meals, but stayed for medical care, job training, legal support, and above all, community.”

“We walked with them through healing, heartbreak, laughter, and growth. We didn’t just share resources, we built relationships,” the organization said.

The celebrants marched on until they reached KBI’s shelter just
outside the Mariposa border crossing, where a mariachi band played and
the marchers were given plates of tacos served on styrofoam trays and
cupcakes with bright green frosting.