No More Deaths

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No More Deaths is an advocacy group based in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, USA that seeks to end the deaths of undocumented migrants crossing the desert regions near the United States-Mexico border. Volunteers for the organization provide food, water, and medical aid to migrants in the desert and offer humanitarian aid to people in Mexico who have been deported from the US.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

No More Deaths was founded in 2004 by several Tucson-area religious leaders, including Roman Catholic bishop Gerald Kicanas and leaders of the local Jewish community. The founders felt that there was a dire need for a constant presence on the border to end the increasing numbers of immigrant deaths. The Pima County Medical Examiner's Office recovered an the bodies of an average of 160 immigrants per year between 2000 and 2005, up from 14 per year in the 1990s.[2] The founders of No More Deaths cite the increasing militarization of the border during this time as a major cause of the spike in deaths.

The organization was structured as an umbrella group to consolidate and expand upon the humanitarian aid work already being provided by other groups like the Samaritans, Humane Borders, and various faith-based organizations. The group began by organizing driving patrols through the Sonoran Desert of Arizona to look for migrants who may be in need of water or medical attention. In the summer of 2004, the group also set up camps called "Arks of the Covenant" to provide a permanent presence during the hottest months of summer. The camps are staffed with volunteers who go on daily driving and foot patrols in areas known to be used by migrants.[3]

[edit] Principles

No More Deaths functions under the following "Faith-Based Principles for Immigration Reform," which are meant to guide the actions of its members:

  • Recognize that the current Militarized Border Enforcement Strategy is a failed policy
  • Address the status of undocumented persons currently living in the US
  • Make family unity and reunification the cornerstone of the US immigration system
  • Allow workers and their families to enter the US to live and work in a safe, legal, orderly, and humane manner through an Employment-Focused immigration program
  • Recognize that root causes of migration lie in environmental, economic, and trade inequities[4]

    [edit] Projects

    [edit] Arks of the Covenant

    Every summer since 2004, No More Deaths volunteers have established Arks of the Covenant camps in the Arizona desert to provide humanitarian aid to migrants. The main camp is located on private land near Arivaca, Arizona, just north of the border. Volunteers live at the camp from a few days up to a several weeks at a time. They participate in daily patrols by car or on foot in areas with a lot of migrant traffic. When migrants are encountered, the volunteers offer water, food and immediate medical assistance to any who are in need. If further medical assistance is needed, the migrants are transported to a medical facility or turned over to the Border Patrol. Participants also leave water and packs of food on trails for later migrants to use.

    [edit] Migrant centers

    No More Deaths volunteers staff migrant centers in northern Mexico to provide aid to immigrants who have recently been deported or repatriated by the Border Patrol. The centers are located in Nogales and Agua Prieta, Sonora, just across the border from Nogales and Douglas, Arizona, respectively. Members of No More Deaths and the immigrant rights group Coalición de Derechos Humanos/Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras signed an "agreement of hospitality" with the Mexican government in July of 2006 that allows the groups to provide aid to migrants on the Mexican side of the border.[5]

    [edit] Compiling human rights violations

    No More Deaths trains volunteers to document what they see as human rights violations by immigration officials. The group claims that it often encounters migrants who have been denied food, water, and medical attention, have been separated from family members, and/or have suffered physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.[6]

    [edit] Prosecution of No More Deaths Volunteers

    On July 9, 2005, two No More Deaths volunteers, Daniel Strass and Shanti Sellz, were arrested by a Border Patrol agent while transporting three undocumented migrants from the Arivaca "Ark" to Tucson for medical attention. The migrants were allegedly suffering from severe thirst and hunger due to vomiting as well as blisters that prevented them from walking. Sellz and Strauss were charged with transporting illegal aliens and conspiring to transport illegal aliens, both felonies under US federal law. If convicted, they would have each faced up to 15 years in prison and a $500,00 fine.[7] Lawyers for the defendants argued that the aid workers were not transporting the immigrants "in furtherance" of their being in the country illegally, and therefore were not guilty of smuggling. US Magistrate Bernardo P. Velasco disagreed and refused to dismiss the case.[8]

    No More Deaths responded with a campaign called "Humanitarian Aid is Never a Crime" to raise awareness about the case and persuade Judge Raner C. Collins to overrule Velasco and drop all charges. They distributed hundreds of bumper stickers and yard signs to supporters, and over 5,600 people (including the Episcopal Bishop of Arizona) signed a petition in support of the two humanitarian aid workers.[9]

    Judge Collins dismissed all of the charges against Sellz and Strauss on September 1, 2006. The judge stated that at the time of their arrest, the two volunteers were following a protocol that had been previously established by the US Border Patrol and No More Deaths. Judge Collins stated that Sellz and Strauss had made an effort to ensure that their actions were lawful, and that “further prosecution would violate the Defendant’s [sic] due process rights.”[10]

    [edit] Criticism

    The anti-illegal immigration group American Patrol has criticized No More Deaths for "aiding and abetting invaders under the guise of religion". The group considers undocumented immigrants to be an invading army bent on "reconquering" the Southwest for Mexico.[11]

    [edit] External Links

    [edit] References

    1. ^ No More Deaths Homepage. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    2. ^ The "Funnel Effect". Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    3. ^ History of No More Deaths. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    4. ^ Faith-Based Principles for Immigration Reform. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    5. ^ Mexico will let Tucson-based groups offer aid to migrants south of border. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    6. ^ More Information for Potential Summer Volunteers. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    7. ^ Background on Prosecution of Daniel Strauss and Shanti Sellz. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    8. ^ 2 arrested for aiding migrants cleared. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    9. ^ Episcopal bishop joins migrant-aid prosecution protest. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    10. ^ Charges Dismissed Against Tucson Humanitarians; Judge Calls Prosecution Unfair. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
    11. ^ Eye on Reconquista Nuisances. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
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