The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee advances human rights through grassroots collaborations.
By Shay Stewart-Willis on September 22, 2025
“Dreams are not illegal,” states a mural on the wall of Casa Tochán. Dreams of safety, accessible education, gainful employment, and community care are not illegal. Beyond that, these dreams are part of a fundamental human right. People have the right to migrate.
Under today’s U.S. presidential administration that strives to demonize people in migration, asserting the right to migrate is deemed controversial. To UUSC and our partner Casa Tochán, however, it’s clear. People have the right to move and live in peace and safety. In most cases, people who make the difficult decision to migrate are driven by the very nations and corporate interests that seek to vilify them. Dominating powers destabilize countries and then abuse the people who are forced to leave those countries in search of safety. Likewise, people have the right to stay in their countries of origin and should be supported regardless of where they live.
Casa Tochán models a system of care that honors the dignity of people in migration. The organization provides housing, supplies psychological and medical care, aids in job training and placement, and supports cultural activities that improve guests’ quality of life. Located in Mexico City, Tochán supports both people who make Mexico City their home as well as those continuing on their journeys. “This is how we change how people migrate,” Director Gaby Hernández says, “Making others feel valued and helping them resolve the issue of work.”
Like many global migrant justice organizations, Casa Tochán feels the impact of xenophobic ideology and cuts to federal humanitarian funding. Tochán is an essential institution filling the gaps left by insufficient social services. The organization battles anti-migration sentiment in Mexico City, working to both support its residents and educate the local community. Despite its essential, urgent work, Casa Tochán has only one formal funder: UUSC.
At UUSC, we know that grassroots advocates are the experts on how to best support their communities. We honor their expertise by providing largely unrestricted funds to our partners. Unlike other funders that require grant recipients to use money for specific, donor-approved projects, our eye-to-eye partnerships with groups like Casa Tochán are built on trusting their stewardship wholeheartedly. We witness the many inspiring ways partners use flexible funding to maximize their impact. Tochán doesn’t need outside intervention and input on their operations; they need like-minded people who believe in the right to migrate to get behind the organization’s mission.
From filling their food pantry to outfitting a screenprinting shop, Director Gaby Hernández has a clear vision of what’s next for the organization. In collaboration with Casa Tochán’s guests and the broader community of people in migration, she’s prioritized more in-house opportunities for job training and employment.
Those who believe in the right to migrate believe in the work of Casa Tochán. You too can support the self-determination of people in migration by making a contribution today. As one of the designs screenprinted by Tochán’s residents says, people migrate “con la esperanza a cuestas,” or, “carrying hope on their backs.” May we all carry the hope of justice for people in migration and work to build a world where it is enacted.
