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BRI’s vision is a society transformed by the strength and resilience of asylum seekers and migrants. Meet our Leadership Team Beth Strano Co-Founder & Executive Director Beth Strano is deeply committed to advocating for the rights and welfare of migrants and asylum seekers. Beth's expertise in human rights advocacy is backed by over two decades of community organizing, and a decade spent working directly with asylum seekers. Before her current role, Beth worked for four years at the International Rescue Committee, where she developed the Asylum Seekers & Families Program and founded the first asylum seeker emergency shelter in Phoenix, Arizona, known as the Welcome Center. Her initiatives have since provided critical support and a safe haven for more than 100,000 individuals and families navigating the challenges of forced displacement and migration. Beth's impact on the sector was highlighted in April 2021, when she testified before the U.S. Senate U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management. Her testimony underscored the vital importance of informed, compassionate policies that uphold the dignity and rights of migrants arriving at the southwest border. Residing in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and their four teenagers, Beth’s vision is to continue fostering partnerships across state and national borders, and work alongside other advocates to make a lasting impact on the lives of asylum seekers. Tyler Southwell, MD Co-Founder & Board Member Dr. Tyler Southwell is a personal physician and family medicine specialist based in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with over 22 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Southwell practices at Southwellness Medical, a facility renowned for offering a broad range of medical services including pain management and aesthetic medicine. His approach combines medical expertise with a strong focus on community health needs, ensuring that his patients receive the most effective and compassionate care possible. Dr. Tyler Southwell played a foundational role in establishing ProtectAZ Health, a medical organization dedicated to providing free medical evaluations, medications, and, during the pandemic, COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and treatments. This organization established a full service medical clinic offering a vital first point of care for medically vulnerable asylum seekers in Arizona. This clinic is instrumental in providing urgent medical services to a diverse group of patients from around the world, including those with critical conditions such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes, and pregnant women in need of immediate care.

Borderlands Resource Initiative's vision is a society transformed by the strength and resilience of asylum seekers and migrants. The "crisis" is entirely preventable. This is America's opportunity to defend our founding values. 1/41 The crisis is — Migration is not a crisis. About Borderlands Resource Initiative Borderlands Resource Initiative is steadfast in advocating for humane asylum policies and bolstering support for dignified reception of asylum seekers. Through strategic coalition building and partnerships along the Southwest border, we strengthen the capacity of asylum organizations. By enhancing their ability to provide vital support and protection to those seeking refuge, we foster resilience and equity within our communities. BRI’s vision is a society transformed by the strength and resilience of asylum seekers and migrants. Our role in this vision is to demonstrate the possibilities when our communities and policies are rooted in dignity, respect, and transformative justice. Eddie Chavez Calderon Campaign Director Arizona Jews for Justice, P hoenix, AZ "The Borderlands Resource Initiative will be a beacon of hope for migrants navigating complex circumstances. Beth Strano's dedication to migrant rights and her instrumental role in driving impactful initiatives are a testament to the transformative potential of compassionate leadership within migrant advocacy. As a formerly undocumented migrant, I wish I had a Beth when my mother and I were on our migrant journey. Her hands-on approach, coupled with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by migrants, ensures that our initiatives address immediate needs and also contribute to lasting solutions." Astrid Dominguez Executive Director Good Neighbor Settlement House, Brownsville, TX "Beth Strano [from Borderlands Resource Initiative] is great! She is a thought partner, and someone you can trust to explain the processes and help you analyze what improvements can be made in your programs. Her support has allowed me to identify new opportunities for Good Neighbor Settlement House, including enhancing current practices and implementing new ones." Be the first to know Subscribe to our newsletter to receive news and updates. Enter your email here First name Last name Subscribe Thanks for subscribing!

Asylum seekers deserve better. You can help. We can do better for asylum seekers. You can help. Join the fight to defend asylum & save lives. Impact the lives of thousands of asylum seekers and their children by supporting emergency humanitarian needs and advocacy for humane policy. Every day, asylum seekers arrive on the U.S./Mexico border in search of protection. These people from all over the world have sacrificed everything to flee their countries escaping violence, torture, and persecution. Their journeys are arduous, and although the process to claim asylum requires them to cross into the United States first, American border policy is constantly changing and many asylum seekers exhaust their resources while attempting to identify the legal process. These are complex problems, but they can be solved. You can be part of the solution. Borderlands Resource Initiative is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization funded and empowered by our generous supporters and frontline partners. Never miss an update. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive news and updates. First name Last name Enter your email here Thanks for submitting! Subscribe