Pope Francis has donated $500,000 to help migrants stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border with food, lodging and basic necessities.
The funds, from the church's Peter Pence collections, will be distributed to 27 projects overseen by 16 Mexican dioceses, the church said in a release.
"In recent months, thousands of migrants have arrived in Mexico," church officials said in a statement. "Men and women, often with young children, flee poverty and violence, hoping for a better future in the United States. However, the US border remains closed to them. All these people were stranded, unable to enter the United States, without a home or livelihood."
The aid is intended to help the 75,000 migrants from countries like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala who arrived in Mexico in six caravans and are stranded at the border.
Officials have already approved 13 projects and expect to have approval for a 14th.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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