BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Sam Bishop is more comfortable crossing the Brownsville-Matamoros International Bridge these days.

“We were definitely very cautious about the dangers here,” said Bishop. “You know, like very head on a swivel.”

Bishop is a project manager for Global Response Management (GRM). The all-voluntary organization is a veteran-led nonprofit, non-government group that offers emergency medical support and humanitarian relief to displaced people in high-conflict areas around the world.

The project manager serves his role well as a former Army Combat Ranger. Bishop’s military medical training is critical to assisting refugees he cares for. Many of the people they see suffer physical and emotional trauma they experienced in a grueling journey to the U.S., seeking asylum.

Last year, GRM set up an open-air clinic on the grounds of a migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico. Known by locals as “tent city,” the camp sits on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River, 200 yards away from the international port which leads to Brownsville, Texas.

“Patients will present themselves to be seen,” said Bishop.

Today, the GRM clinic serves migrants inside and out of the camp. Certain medical services are provided inside a two-story building across the street from the migrant camp.

Bishop can supervise up to two-dozen patients in one day.

A patient receives care at a nonprofit clinic along the Texas-Mexico border (Spectrum News)

“We saw eight people inside the camp and around another 18 outside,” he said.

At the height of the migrant crisis in 2019, around 3,000 refugees were at the migrant camp. The number is now well below 1,000. GRM tells Spectrum News many migrants have found other places to live in Matamoros or given up hope and gone back to their native country.

President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” hardline immigration policy prevents refugees seeking asylum from entering the U.S. until a court hearing is set on the docket. The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed their day in court further.

Part of Bishop’s role is to oversee a staff of medics, nurses and doctors with different backgrounds.

“There was no medical care before we got here,” said the program manager.

Patients are seen for a variety of medical conditions, including pregnant women.

To date, more than 100 refugees at the GRM clinic have tested positive for the COVID-19 antibodies. With a slight sigh of relief in his voice Bishop said, “Luckily we haven’t had an outbreak here.”

To date, GRM says medical services provided at the camp totaled higher than $1,000,000. Migrants and other Matamoros residents seeking medical attention are not charged for services provided.

As numbers continue to dwindle inside the migrant camp, the program director said they have a mission to carry out and will stay as long as refugees need humanitarian relief.

“Even if the media shifts to other areas, this is still an ongoing issue. There are still as many people being affected by it,” Bishop said.