With grandmotherly gentleness, often speaking in a familiar language, these volunteers are waiting. And just as sisters Amaro and Sanchez are doing in Sacramento, each day dozens of them show up at Greyhound bus stations in far-flung connecting cities where asylum-seekers, released from detention, are making their way across the country to sponsors’ homes. These tías, abuelas, and other advocates call themselves the Overground Railroad. “In that moment, we are not Republican or Democrat. We get hugs, ‘Dios te bendiga, God bless you,’” Amaro says of the asylum-seekers. “They have so much dignity, so much gratitude. The two women come armed with care kits containing basic necessities, as well as blankets, toys, and fresh, warm foods, such as the burritos and sandwiches that Sanchez prepares. Every morning, Bonita Amaro and her sister Yolanda Sanchez arrive at the Greyhound bus station in Sacramento to greet asylum-seekers passing through on their way to sponsors’ homes across the country.
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