Before the Mass begins, however, Francis is expected to walk to the edge of the Rio Grande, the river that separates the two nations, kneel, and pray for the more than 6,000 people who lost their lives trying to cross the border in the past 15 years. Across the river in El Paso will be a group of a few hundred people, including undocumented women and children from Central America. Event organizers had hoped for a larger gathering on the US side of the border, but decided instead to show a live stream of the event in nearby Sun Bowl Stadium. It’s expected that Pope Francis will address the crowd gathered there during the Mass. “We are working with federal agencies to have a modest border gathering of refugees and victims of violence to receive a blessing from Pope Francis. We refer to the group as our ‘Francis VIPs,'” the diocese said Friday. “These will be the very people that the Pope is coming to celebrate. Through the Holy Father’s visit, we hope to shine light on our local migrants and refugees, highlighting the beautiful collaboration our border communities have established in order to serve all of our brothers and sisters.” The head of a Catholic community organizing group that is helping to plan the event said it will be an opportunity for those who made it across the border to remember those who didn’t survive the journey. “When Pope Francis comes to our border to recall all those who perished, hundreds of migrants will be there to welcome him on the this side of the Rio Grande, in solidarity with a Latin American pope who defines himself as a migrant,” said Dylan Corbett, executive director of the El Paso-based Hope Border Institute. Francis’ border visit is expected to draw renewed attention to the heated immigration debate in the United States. Frontrunner Donald Trump has said that if elected, he will deport nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, and he made waves when he falsely accused Mexico of sending “rapists” across the border. He also said he will build a wall along the entire 1,933-mile border — and that he’d get Mexico to pay for it. The Obama administration, meanwhile, launched a series of raids on undocumented families earlier this month, leading to an increase in deportations. The administration has deported more undocumented immigrants than any other president, at a time when migration to the United States is falling.