No More Deaths Background

Katie D.

April 1, 2009 - 10:00 PM

Now allow me to write some background on No More Deaths as an organization. This is some background on their philosophy and work, as well as some background on their perspectives and work with migrants.

No More Deaths is a humanitarian aid organization that works to end suffering and death in the Sonoran Desert outside of Tucson. The founding members are people who witnessed undocumented migrants dying in their backyards and who have taken the radical position that no one should die for lack of water.

From this position they developed the idea of Civil Initiative: that they uphold the highest laws of any land that declare Universal Human Rights, even when the US Government chooses not to uphold such laws. Their activity is not illegal, it is not Civil Disobedience. They do not transport migrants. They do not keep secrets from anyone. The organization is transparent and well-publicized. Please check out this link to a definition of Civil Initiative, written by a friend of the founders of No More Deaths.

What No More Deaths does is provide food, water, and medical help to anyone struggling in the desert. They have mapped the migrant trails and leave caches of gallon water jugs on the most-used trails. From these "water drop" points, No More Deaths volunteers patrol the trails with supplies of food and water and first aid, looking for migrants (or anyone) who is in trouble and needs assistance. Anyone found is offered basic care, and if more urgent need is expressed, they call 911 or Border Patrol.

Migrants generally cross in groups, led by "coyotes," or men paid to serve as guides and transports. Tucson is approximately a four night hike from the border, and this hike crosses deserts, canyons, and mountains. It has been deliberate US policy to enforce the border most heavily in areas where crossing would be easiest, which pushes migrants more and more into areas that are most dangerous and where they are most likely to die. The part of Arizona where No More Deaths operates is one of the most highly frequented, at an estimated 1,000 crossings a night in their zone alone. This also adds up to many people dying, with 237 bodies found in Arizona in 2007. It is estimated that for every body found there are 3 to 10 that are never discovered.

When migrants are with their groups they generally suffer most from blisters from their fast pace across the desert. But often individuals are left behind by their groups, left because they are injured or sick and can't keep up, or separated from their groups, especially by Border Patrol helicopters that hover over groups they encounter, scattering the group that often cannot completely reassemble.

Many migrants, especially those separated from their groups, are lost, wandering, and severely dehydrated. One man we encountered last week told us he had lost his group five days before. Alejandro was wandering lost, with only a pair of water bottles he had filled in a cow tank. Others are found with severe blisters, to the point where continuing forward is impossible and infection sets in. Other common injuries are twisted or sprained ankles, snake bites, and heat exhaustion.

People keep asking me about the issue of drug runners. I by no means negate the issue of drug trafficking flowing across the US/Mexico border. But these are not the people No More Deaths volunteers encounter on the trails. A "normal" migrant that we might see is generally ill-outfitted for the trip: has tennis shoes and a small backpack, and is often in a confused or ailing shape. Drug runners (we learned in the training) move extremely fast, have GPS technology, are equipped with high quality hiking gear, and do not want to be found by anyone. As volunteers hike the trails, they call out to identify themselves as a volunteer organization, and anyone who does not wish to be seen can easily leave the trails to hide.

Another issue often raised is the moral concern of helping people who, according to US law, are criminals because of their presence on US soil. I freely admit that there are many concerns surrounding immigration, not least of which are those of the landowners in the area. We identify migrant trails use by the amount of cast-off articles, like empty water bottles or unwanted clothing. I witnessed the fact that Migrants do leave a mark on the land. Although I recognize this as a legitimate concern, I would hope that many landowners in the area might respond with sympathy to the plight of people so desperate that they shed what few possessions they have in their attempt to cross the desert. Some landowners, like Byrd and Karl, have allowed No More Deaths to use their land for campsites: they have been moved by their witness of suffering, or by encountering dead migrants on their land, to take action against injustice, rather than to demonize the migrants.

No More Deaths has also begun a campaign to document the experiences of migrants. Specifically, they are documenting abuses they have experienced at the hands of US officials. There are no enforceable standards for people held in short-term custody by US Border Patrol. I will write more on this issue later, but if you are interested please visit this link to read some of the documentation they have done.  There are multiple documents you can access, but the most direct option is the Executive Summary.

I realize that the issue of immigration is not a politically unifiable one. I realize that there are as many opinions on this issue as there are people living in this great nation. But I also identify so strongly with this organization that sees abuses and suffering as wrong, and then work within their community to try to alive the suffering of these, their fellow human beings. After two trips to the border to work with No More Deaths, and over a year of working with some members of the Latino community in my own city, I still do not have a fully formed idea of what immigration policy should look like. But, as a tax payer, citizen, and person of good will, I believe we should act first with concern for those who are dying on our soil.

As I continue to blog about my experience, I hope you will keep this in consideration. I have yet to decide my political position beyond an idea that the International Declaration of Human Rights should be maintained as the highest law in our collective world. And second, I hope you might read and consider your place in this issue, and perhaps imagine some action of your own.