Tijuana, Mexico, May 8, 2021 – On May 7, 2021, the new Scalabrini Training Center for Migrants (CESFOM) of the Casa del Migrante en Tijuana was inaugurated in Tijuana, Mexico. This project was possible thanks to the Saint Charles Scalabrinians Missionaries and the financial support of UNHCR.

Following COVID-19 safety protocols, around fifty people attended the ceremony event. Participants included Fr. Pat Murphy, Director of Casa del Migrante en Tijuana, Giovanni Lepri, UNHCR representative, Fr. Juan Miguel Álvarez, Provincial Superior, Carlos Yee, Program Coordinator of Casa del Migrante en Tijuana, among others.

The new training center will train and certify adult migrants to improve their employment, educational and personal development opportunities. Migrants, deportees, and refugees will have the opportunity to learn English, computer science, read and write, plumbing, and electricity. The center will also teach courses on bible study and self-help, and it will add new courses every three months.

The center is open for all the migrant community and not just for those who are staying in shelters. The intention is to strengthen the social inclusion of the population in the context of mobility, deportees, and refugees living in Tijuana.

“With this successful experience we begin with the dream of building a place to improve the lives of immigrants,” said Fr. Pat Murphy, Director of Casa del Migrante en Tijuana.