On November 2, 2024, at the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border region, the Border Network for Human Rights brought together over 100 families for the 11th edition of Hugs Not Walls, a heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring event that serves as a lifeline for families separated by cruel and inhumane immigration policies.

As our families, communities, and allies reflect on the results of the 2024 election, Hugs Not Walls reminds us that immigration, at the end of the day, is about families. Hugs Not Walls is a vivid representation of what a welcoming border policy must be and a light of hope in our pursuit to build a better future for us all.

For a fleeting moment, loved ones who have been kept apart by immigration policies and physical barriers got to hold each other again—tears flowing, hearts pounding with joy and pain. It was a powerful display of resilience and a bold statement of our community’s strength in the face of division and hate.

This year, Hugs Not Walls was held on Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a traditional day for honoring those we’ve lost. The timing could not have been more poignant: 2024 has become one of the deadliest years on record for migrant deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) chose this day not only to reunite families but also to stand in solemn remembrance of those who perished in their quest for a better life. Families wore shirts that displayed the conservative reporting number of 176 migrant deaths in the El Paso sector during FY 2024 to spotlight the harsh reality of U.S. border policies that contribute to the suffering and death of so many.

BNHR knows that as long as immigration and border policies continue to rip children from their mothers’ arms, and keep brothers, sisters, and grandparents apart, Hugs Not Walls must go on.

Last year, we faced an unexpected challenge when the Texas National Guard laid miles of razor wire right where our event was planned. This year, once again confronted by the menacing sight of barbed wire, we persevered. With tireless effort and collaboration across local, state, and federal partners, we secured the permits. And just days before the event, the Texas National Guard pulled back a section of wire, allowing 200 families to embrace—if only for a brief moment.

Amid the rising militarization and hateful rhetoric targeting border communities across Texas, BNHR became a beacon of hope, a shining example of what is possible when humanity takes precedence over politics. To the countless families who have been torn apart by a broken and inhumane immigration system, Hugs Not Walls was a breath of relief, a fleeting glimpse of the future we continue to fight for—a future where separation is replaced by unity, and fear is overcome by love.

Our message is clear: we will not stop until these few minutes of joy become a lasting reality for millions of families. #HugsNotWalls stands as a powerful reminder to our leaders and to the world that there is another way—a compassionate, humane, and just path forward.