Hope Border Institute (HOPE)

The organization has been a vocal critic of the second Trump administration’s immigration and policies and operates both in the United States and Mexico. ³

Between 2018 and 2023, the group received financial support from the Schwab Charitable Fund, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, Network For Good, Tides Foundation, Save The Children Federation, Paso Del Norte Community Foundation, Fwdus Education Fund, El Paso Community Foundation, Faith In Public Life and Faith In Action Network. ⁴

Founding and History

Dylan Corbett, a veteran international and human development worker with prior roles in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, established the Hope Border Institute (HOPE) in 2015. ⁵ He created the organization following Pope Francis’s call for increased support for migrants in South and North America. ⁶

HOPE has criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, such as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), or “Remain in Mexico” program, implemented in 2019, which required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico during US proceedings. The group denounced the Remain in Mexico program for harming those HOPE considered to be asylum seekers. ³

In 2017, HOPE, alongside Borderland Immigration Council, published the report Discretion to Deny: Family Separation, Prolonged Detention, and Deterrence of Asylum Seekers at the Hands of Immigration Authorities along the U.S.-Mexico Border, criticizing the Trump administration’s policy of separating families of undocumented migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. ⁷

HOPE, in partnership with the Diocese of El Paso, organized the “Do Not be Afraid” march and vigil in March 2024 to protect what the nonprofit considered to be the rights of those aspiring to seek asylum in the United States. ⁸

Prior to the 2024 presidential elections, HOPE hosted the “Elections and Migration: Challenges, Opportunities, and Hopes” seminar at the University of Texas at El Paso on October 17, 2024, promoting left-of-center views on undocumented migrants and illegal immigration. ⁹

After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential elections, HOPE joined 192 other left-of-center immigration advocacy groups to send a letter to then-President Joe Biden and then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, requesting that they close illegal migrant detention facilities, stop expanding deportations of illegal immigrants, and release detained migrants ahead of the Trump administration’s takeover. ¹⁰

Activities

In addition to research and policy advocacy, and capacity building for activists, as of 2025 HOPE had engaged in two major initiatives: the Root Causes Initiative program and the Border Refugee Assistance Fund. ^{11 12}

Root Causes Initiative

HOPE’s Root Causes Initiative, founded in 2020, sought to identify what the group considered to be the root causes of migrant outflows from their countries of origin. ¹¹

As part of the initiative, the group, in co-operation with 315 religious and civic organizations, identified gang violence, famine, and alleged exploitative labor practices as causes for said migrant outflows. ¹¹

The group then recommended more aid through USAID to help domestic initiatives in the countries of origin rather than increasing border security at the border as a solution for the illegal immigration crisis. ¹¹

Border Refugee Assistance Fund

Established in partnership with the Diocese of El Paso, the Border Refugee Assistance Fund, as of 2020, financed the provision of food, shelter, medical care, and legal assistance to migrants facing restrictive U.S. immigration policies, such as Title 42, through religious-affiliated groups. ¹²

Leadership

Dylan Corbett is HOPE’s founding executive director and held the position as of 2025. Corbett has had prior experience in the international and human development sector, having worked for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and the Vatican’s Migrants and Refugees Section in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean as a coordinator. ¹³

Corbett previously worked with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in justice and peace development. ¹³

Alex R. Almanzan, a public advocate with over a decade of experience as an attorney, chaired the nonprofit’s board as of 2025. Almanzan, a Stanford University and St. Mary’s School of Law graduate, previously served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge David Briones. ²

Other board members as of 2025 included vice chair Nicholas D. Natividad an Associate Professor at New Mexico State University studying civil and human rights. ²

The leadership team as of 2025 also maintained strong ties to the Catholic Church. Arturo J. Banuelas, a Catholic priest, serves as Chair Emeritus and was instrumental in founding the group. Banuelas holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and has been a prominent advocate for illegal immigrant initiatives. ²

Additional board members, as of 2025, Anthony C. Celino, the Auxiliary Bishop of El Paso, and Kenneth Ferrone, executive director of Catholic Charities of Southern New Mexico. ²

Funding

In fiscal year 2023, the nonprofit reported total revenue of $401,982, a decrease from $436,560 in 20221. Much of this revenue ($400,493) came from contributions and grants, with a small amount ($1,489) from other revenue sources. The group, as of 2023, received no program service revenue or investment income. ¹⁴

HOPE’s total expenses in 2023 were $495,698, with the majority ($375,661) going to program services. These program services included aid to asylum seekers ($156,852), including shelter and healthcare assistance. The organization, as of 2023, also spent $52,396 on development training to faith and community leaders. ¹⁴

Personnel costs made up a sizable portion of expenses, with $222,118 spent on salaries and wages, plus $66,732 for employee benefits and payroll taxes. ¹⁴

Total assets decreased from $917,827 to $824,667 during 2023, while liabilities increased slightly from $2,681 to $3,2371. Net assets fell from $915,146 to $821,430, as of 2023. ¹⁴

Between 2018 and 2023, the group received financial support from the Schwab Charitable Fund, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, Network For Good, Tides Foundation, Save The Children Federation, Paso Del Norte Community Foundation, Fwd.US Education Fund, El Paso Community Foundation, Faith In Public Life, and Faith In Action Network. ⁴