Sueños Sin Fronteras started as an emergency taskforce of volunteer health providers from San Antonio that provided direct care to asylum-seeking families passing through Catholic Charities’ Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas.

SSFTX Co-Founder and Co-Director Laura Molinar and Brownsville resident and activist, Elisa Fillappone, transporting reproductive health supplies to asylum-seekers living in encampments along the border in Matamoros, Mexico.

Between July and December of 2018, SSFTX healthcare and community volunteers continued to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border to transport health and hygiene supplies and provide direct care for recently arrived women and families passing through the Humanitarian Respite Center.

SSFTX Co-Founders Isabel Zepeda and Laura Molinar hosted a roundtable discussion titled “Salud del Pueblo” at Southwest Workers Union in San Antonio. The discussion brought together community leaders and healthcare providers from UT Health San Antonio, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and El Bari Clinic to discuss healthcare access for asylum-seekers in TX.

SSFTX Co-Founders Isabel Zepeda and Laura Molinar advocating at City Hall in support of the City of San Antonio’s Migrant Resource Center, which provided shelter, food, and travel assistance to asylum-seekers being transported to San Antonio from Del Rio and Eagle Pass, Texas.

Co-Founder and Co-Director, Laura Molinar, with City of San Antonio staff at the Migrant Resource Center in downtown San Antonio. SSFTX partnered with community organizations to provide weekly volunteer support and material donations to the City of San Antonio’s Migrant Resource Center.

SSFTX launched the “Showers for the People” Project in collaboration with the City of San Antonio, Interfaith Welcome Coalition, and Travis Park United Methodist Church. Between July and October 2019, the initiative provided access to private showers, clothing, and hygiene supplies to 1,000 asylum-seeking adults, children, and infants at the Migrant Resource Center.

In collaboration with the San Antonio Mennonite Church, SSFTX provided peer support, transportation assistance, accompaniment, and warm, nourishing meals to asylum-seeking families at La Casa de Maria y Marta shelter in San Antonio.

SSFTX along with other immigrant rights organizations and activists led a public action at the Federal Courthouse in San Antonio against the Trump-era policy, Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), aka “Remain in Mexico” program. Under this policy, thousands of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border were returned to Mexico where they were forced to wait for their immigration proceedings, subjecting them to kidnappings, extortion, violence, and unsafe living conditions in Mexico.

In response to the increase of COVID-19 cases in San Antonio and lack of federal stimulus relief for immigrants, SSFTX launched the Empowerment Fund. The mutual aid fund provided impacted immigrant families in San Antonio with housing assistance, cash grants, groceries, health and hygiene supplies, transportation, and cell phone bill support.

In collaboration with the RAICES Family Detention Services Program, SSFTX launched a commissary fund at the Karnes Family Residential Center which allowed detained families to purchase essential food, hygiene items, and phone minutes so they could communicate with loved ones.

In response to the horrific and inhumane conditions of immigration detention, SSFTX along with other immigrant rights groups led a car protest in front of the Karnes Detention Center in Karnes County, TX on Saturday, May 16th 2020. 50 cars from across Texas followed in a continuous procession in front of the detention center as they honked and chanted calls of liberation for all immigrants being held in ICE detention.

SSFTX along with local artist Cruz Ortiz and community organizations participated in the nationwide art action “In Plain Sight” on July 4th, 2020. The action held a live screen printing of protest posters, followed by a caravan of +80 cars that traveled from downtown San Antonio to Karnes County, Texas to conduct a car rally in front of the Karnes Family Detention Center.

In February 2021, San Antonio encountered record-low temperatures and the state of Texas’ electric grid operator lost control of the power supply, leaving millions of Texans without access to electricity and water. Many undocumented families in San Antonio were disproportionately affected and left without access to life-saving medications, food, water, or electricity. Through the Empowerment Fund, SSFTX was able to provide emergency grocery, transportation, and housing assistance to undocumented women and their families in San Antonio, Texas.

SSFTX was selected to be a part of the Highlander Research and Education Center’s Southern Beyond Survival Squad Fellowship. For five months, four of our collective members gained knowledge and skills on topics such as popular education, solidarity economy, community governance, and cultural organizing.

SSFTX joined community organizations such as Puro Unity, March of Dimes Texas, 7th Generations Doulas, and UT Health San Antonio to host Féria de Bebe which distributed free diapers and wipes to community members in San Antonio. UT Health San Antonio was also present and administered COVID-19 vaccines to community members.

Through the Highlander Research and Education Center’s support, guidance, and training, SSFTX hosted their first popular education workshop at Jaime’s Place on San Antonio’s westside, which focused on bringing directly impacted community members together to dream and build solutions together. Food, childcare, transportation, and participant stipends were provided for families in attendance.

SSFTX had the opportunity to participate in Highlander’s 90th Homecoming Celebration, "There's a New World Coming". Team members participated in inspiring, hopeful, and joyful workshops that focused on resistance, healing, and care.

SSFTX hosted a community convivio at J Street Park on San Antonio’s East Side. Families from the community gathered to share powerful testimonies about their experiences accessing sexual and reproductive health care at local clinics in San Antonio.

SSFTX had the honor or collaborating with child and adult forensic psychiatrist and Teku CEO, Dr. Barbara Robles-Ramamurthy, to host a convivio focusing on mental health and emotional wellness. The discussion explored unique challenges that immigrant parents face and highlighted practices that could support their emotional and mental well-being.

SSFTX partnered with AVOW Texas, Lilith Fund, and Jane’s Due Process to launch an advocacy initiative calling for the City of San Antonio to allocate a portion of its 2024 fiscal year budget to fund a Reproductive Justice Fund that would assist community organizations in providing life-saving sexual and reproductive health services, resources, and education to the San Antonio community. The City of San Antonio’s City Council approved the budget amendment on September 14th, 2023.

SSFTX launched its inaugural postpartum virtual support group for undocumented women in collaboration with a Spanish-speaking birth worker. The goal of the 6-week-long support group is to provide a safe and supportive environment for undocumented women to share their postpartum experiences, concerns, and emotions.