My parents are active volunteers in a humanitarian group called No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes. They go into the Sonora desert in Arizona and to give humanitarian aid to undocumented aliens (or illegal immigrants, if you prefer that term) coming into America along a loosely-guarded Mexican/U.S. border area. I asked my parents to describe their volunteer efforts, and here’s what they wrote:
What a Volunteer Does With No More Deaths
We place one gallon plastic water containers at specific GPS locations on migrant’s trails (this is called a water drop). These migrant’s trails are mapped out on detailed maps. Along with water, we might drop off cans of beans (tab opening) or migrant packs left in plastic containers to protect them from the rain/wildlife. A migrant pack contain: individual snacks and a pair of socks in a plastic Ziploc bag. Water drops can be anywhere from 1,000 yards to a mile from the trail intersection with a dirt road where the truck is left as volunteers carry water to the drop. There can be anywhere from 5 to 8 water drops per patrol. A patrol consists of a Spanish speaker, a certified medical person and 4 to 6 volunteers with somebody selected as truck driver, cell phone monitor and another person as GPS/map reader.
Usually, if time permits, after the water drops are completed, the humanitarian patrol will walk the trail from the last water drop looking for immigrants who are in need of help. Migrants will not show themselves to us (trust issues/fear) even though the patrol Spanish speaker is calling out that we have water, food and medical help and we are not the U.S. Border Patrol. We will
only
see migrants
if they are
in medical
trouble We will only see migrants if they are in medical trouble (blisters, dehydration, sprain/pulled body parts) and have been left behind by their group because they could not keep up with the pace. Of course, being left behind means the immigrants are lost with no food or water and their only recourse is to show themselves to anybody.
Info: immigrant groups travel at night and sleep/rest during the day off of the trails in small canyons and washes where there is shade.
Normal Daily Schedule
Wake up at 5:00 am (before day light), breakfast with the sunrise, load truck with supplies and final patrol meeting. Try to be out of camp by 6:00 am. Do water drops and hike trails. Be back to camp by 12:00 – 12:30 for lunch. Rest/nap after lunch.
Afternoon volunteer patrols leave camp by 2:30 – 3:00 pm and must be back to camp before night fall or at least off of the trails. Dinner is somewhere between 6:30-7:30 pm with the nightly circle, of course under the stars, shortly afterward (depending on the time of year the circle could be around a camp fire). The nightly circle is an important community building activity consisting of sharing your insights of the day events, problems, conflicts, etc. When this is completed, the circle plans what needs to be done the next day as to water drops, trail conditions and who is going where and doing what. By the time the circle is completed, it is 9:00-9:30 pm and time for sleep and the night music of coyotes.
I think that regardless of the fact that the immigrants entering the country illegally, we should not let them die of thirst or wounds along the way. However, I don’t mind a healthy debate about the issue. What are your thoughts? What would you do?
Wow, this is great to hear about. I guess it’s unsurprising that I feel a great deal of angst over making immigration to the US illegal based on the economy of one’s country of citizenship. I mean, I’m all for national security in order to prevent acts of violence against the US, but I just don’t see anything different between Mexicans crossing the southern US border and any of the other large ethnic groups that were able to enter the US before WWII.
So, yes, compassion. Because I’m a member of the human race and a citizen of the planet before I am an American.
I feel conflicted, too. I want our country to be safe from immigrants who are criminals or terrorists. I think a lot of people who oppose illegal immigration don’t understand how desperate some of immigrants’ lives have become.
On the other hand, sometimes I wonder – if they’re willing to break the law to get here, will they have a general disregard for the law? It is much easier to obey all laws when your children are not starving and dying of preventable illnesses.
See, I told you I was conflicted!
Does the Border Patrol let this humanitarian aid happen? Or do they try to stop it? Just curious…
Humanitarian aid is not against the law by International Law. The Border Patrol is not happy about what we do, especially because we do not give them information when we ask for it always. On the other hand, we have come across border Patrolmen who told us where the helicopters saw people in trouble and they were not going to hike that far back to get them. So we did and helped them. Often, migrants ask us to call the patrol because they cannot go any further and we do that. We treat the patrolmen kindly – they are God’s children also, and in general they treat us the same. the only ones that have been truly nasty to us have been the vigilantes.
Sorry, I meant information when they ask for it.
I think another thing to remember is that migrants have gone across the border to work (both ways ) throughout our American history and even before that. In the past, migraants went across to work for a few months and then went home again. Or they would take their whole families for a few months and then go home again. Since 9/11 the border has been closed and this has changed their patterns of behavior. Increasingly, they come across and cannot go home again and stay here for years because it is too hard to come back again. This means they do not see their families for many years. We no longer call them immigrants, because they do not want to stay for the most part, but migrants.
Suburban, sometimes people working for No More Deaths get arrested for their work. Here’s a recent news story on it: http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=338984&CategoryId=12394
Kethleen, so now when the migrants go to the U.S., they know they’ll be here for a long time, right? I suppose the ones who can get illegal papers will have more freedom to travel back to their home countries than those who can’t.
Angela, you were wondering (way back in comment #2!) whether a person’s willingness to break the law by violating a national border would also be more likely to break other laws (more likely than someone who wouldn’t violate a national border). In the past few years I’ve realized that violating a national border is very different than stealing or violence or other crimes with a victim. It’s unclear to me what ethical wrong the illegal crossing reduces to. Who is the victim? Why is it wrong now but it wasn’t wrong 100 years ago? Why does a country choose to forbid citizens of one country from entering without a visa but allows citizens of a different country to enter freely with no background check and for those visitors to remain without being tracked?
When people call illegal immigrants (whether they’re crossing for the day or their lifetime) criminals, I can’t understand why we don’t ever call into question the nature of the law that is being broken.
I think you’re right – we should work for immigration reform. And I agree that breaking immigration laws can be much different than breaking other laws.
But say an immigrant enters the country illegally. The person still needs a work visa or SSN. Many people do obtain illegal identification, because without the right documentation they are driving illegally and may have a hard time getting a job, education for their children, or healthcare. This can also lead to a pattern of lying and hiding. Once you begin breaking laws, it’s easier to break other laws.
Let me be clear: I do understand and sympathize with undocumented aliens caught in this situation, even though they put themselves into the situation. I’m just trying to describe the way things are right now. It’ll continue to go this way until we change our immigration laws.
By the way, you said: “Why does a country choose to forbid citizens of one country from entering without a visa but allows citizens of a different country to enter freely with no background check and for those visitors to remain without being tracked?”
Can you say more about this issue?
I know that many Americans are against illegals entering the country but I believe the work these people are doing shows their humanity. This is something we all need to see more of.
I applaud your parents for being willing to put themselves and their own comfort aside to help those in need. The whole world would be a better place if more people would do so.
Yeah, I’m pretty proud of them. Regardless of what people think about illegal immigrants, I’m glad they’re not willing to sit aside and let them die in the desert.