The Humane Borders Blog

Southside Turns 100

2006-11-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

Minutemen Defeated

2006-11-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

Ernesto Portillo Jr. writes: Randy Graf and the Republicans were not the only ones to get a thumping in Tuesday's election. The Minutemen were thumped, too. Despite the Minutemen's all-out effort to get Republican Graf into the congressional seat vacated by fellow Republican Jim Kolbe, their man lost his bid — in a Republican-dominated district — to Democrat Gabrielle Giffords.

Human Rights Award

2006-11-01T05:52:00.000-05:00

Robin writes: "It's official. I'm to receive a special human rights award from Mexico. There is a National Human Rights Award which will be shared by Isabel Garcia and Padre Flor Maria Rigoni (north and south borders). I could not receive that because I'm not Mexican. So, the National Commission of Human Rights has created a special award just for me by adding a Latin phrase or two to the name of the award. Plans are for the award to be presented December 11 by Mexico's new president, Felipe Calderon at Los Pinos (Mexican equivalent of the White House)."

Conference On Migrants

2006-10-04T05:37:00.000-04:00

Humane Borders, Inc. announces our 2007 Conference on Migrants, January 22-26, 2007, addressing the migration phenomenon in Arizona. More here.

A Doubling Of Deaths

2006-10-04T05:28:00.000-04:00

AP in Tucson Citizen: Deaths of illegal immigrants crossing the Southwest border have surged since the mid-1990s, with the majority of the increase between 1998 and 2005 concentrated in Arizona, according to an analytical report to Congress. Meanwhile, the report found the number of deaths among women illegal immigrant crossers has more than doubled in those same seven years - and more than half died in Arizona.

BP: A Dip In Deaths

2006-10-04T04:36:00.000-04:00

AP in LA Times: Deaths among migrants illegally entering the United States dropped slightly during the past fiscal year, according to the most recent Border Patrol statistics. Between Oct. 1, 2005 and Sept. 15, 426 people died while illegally crossing the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. That compares with the 446 deaths during the same period the previous year.

County Comes Through

2006-10-03T05:26:00.000-04:00

Arizona Daily Star: "The Pima County Board of Supervisors has agreed to continue to pay for water stations in the desert to aid undocumented border crossers. The board voted 4-1 Tuesday to give $25,000 from the contingency fund to Humane Borders, which maintains 80 water stations in Southern Arizona and northern Mexico."

Buried Without Prayers

2006-07-03T07:32:00.000-04:00

From ScrippsNews: They're buried without prayers or tears. The concrete markers over their graves etched with acronyms: UNID, DOB UNK, DOD UNK _ unidentified, date of birth unknown, date of death unknown.

The burials are paid for by the counties along the U.S.-Mexico border where undocumented migrants lost their lives while risking the horrific heat of the desert to travel to jobs.

All Kinds Here

2006-06-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

Big coverage from the Washington Post. Here's a snippet:

"We've got all kinds here," said Robin Hoover, head of Humane Borders, a Tucson-based interfaith organization devoted to stopping deaths among illegal immigrants as they cross the desert. "We've got people who all say they want to save America -- and they're fighting like cats and dogs."

No Walls, No Reform

2006-06-21T08:59:00.000-04:00

According to the AP:

Two weeks on the job, the new head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday he does not favor building a huge wall along the Mexican border.

“I don’t support, I don’t believe the administration supports a wall,” Commissioner W. Ralph Basham said in Tucson, where he met with patrol officials and agents before embarking on a tour across the Arizona desert.

Meanwhile, according to CNN:

In a move that could prevent immigration legislation from passing Congress this year, the House will begin a fresh series of hearings on immigration next month, Republican leaders announced Tuesday.

The hearings will be held in Washington and across the country "so we understand what the American people are saying," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois.

Lack Of Imagination

2006-06-15T07:22:00.000-04:00

Tucson Citizen: As many as 300 Arizona National Guard members headed to the Mexican border Wednesday, the first deployment under President Bush's plan to free Border Patrol agents for enforcement duties.

Hoover: "This is a political problem that requires a political solution," he said. "Sending troops to the border represents a stunning lack of imagination."

Thank You Paula Mich!

2006-06-14T07:24:00.000-04:00

Volunteer Paula Mich on meeting the challenge of vandalism, as quoted on KVOA: "We're going to continue to do this regardless of how many empty tanks we find," Mich said. "We're going to continue to do this."

Desert Heats Up

2006-06-03T07:20:00.000-04:00

From the Tucson Citizen:

Over the last two weeks, the Border Patrol has rescued 88 illegal immigrants, 40 percent of the agency's total rescues since the start of the fiscal year on October 1. The agency has recorded 85 deaths in the same period.

Humane Borders founder Robin Hoover said the organization has been refilling its water stations on a daily basis since May 1. Water usage peaks during June and July, when volunteers refill up to 1,500 gallons of water a week.

"We hope to remove a lot of misery and save lives," Hoover said. "We hope that we're useful."

Don't Fence Us In

2006-05-27T06:45:00.000-04:00

Robin had the op-ed spot in Thursday's USA Today:

Since 1994, law enforcement has failed to reduce the average number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border by even one person per year. Universities attest to the migration pattern.

No matter how many agents, no matter how much infrastructure, and no matter how many tools and toys have been given to do the job, nothing has worked. Nothing.

Welcome Aboard Susan

2006-05-27T06:41:00.000-04:00

In the same AP report mentioned below, there's this: Susan Wysoki, a spokeswoman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates tighter border security, acknowledged the groups' humanitarian role, saying “there's no overstepping boundaries when saving lives.”

Drawing Attention

2006-05-27T06:40:00.000-04:00

The AP's Arthur Rotstein takes note, here in the San Diego Union-Tribune, that all the wrangling over the latest round of immigration legislation has actually been a boon to humanitarian groups, including us.

Let's Remember

2006-05-27T06:36:00.000-04:00

Claudine LoMonaco reported this a while back in the Tucson Citizen, but it's worth remembering:

As the fate of illegal immigrants continues to be debated, their children - many of whom are U.S. citizens - are too often an afterthought, according to a group of Tucson leaders who want to change that.

"Most of the debate is framed in terms of us and them," said University of Arizona Sociology professor Don Grant, who organized a forum last night at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 1431 W. Magee Road. "You have some folks on the left saying how they help us. And then you have people on the right saying how they pose a threat to us."

The next generation cannot be categorized so simply, Grant said.

"In the most real and legal sense, they - the children of immigrants - are actually us," he said.

We Walk For Life

2006-05-27T06:25:00.000-04:00

Stephanie Innes, in the Arizona Daily Star: The third annual "Migrant Trail: We Walk for Life" is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Sasabe, more than 70 miles southwest of Tucson. The walk will end with a memorial ceremony scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at Kennedy Park, on Tucson's Southwest Side.

Some Realist

2006-05-27T05:28:00.000-04:00

From the Dallas Morning News:

A day after the Senate adopted an overhaul that both toughens enforcement and liberalizes immigration laws, House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner predicted choppy negotiations ahead.

"I would like to see a bill passed and signed into law. However, I'm a realist," the Wisconsin Republican said.

We All Agree, Then?

2006-05-16T07:17:00.000-04:00

A quick roundup of opinion about the Bush National Guard plan from the Arizona Daily Star:

"It's an incredibly dangerous precedent for all of us, not just for those of us who live on the border," said Isabel Garcia of Derechos Humanos.

Jennifer Allen of the Border Action Network said, "Putting military troops on the border, further blurring the line between law enforcement and immigration, the disposable-worker program; these are not proposals that actually support the values of this country and the reason people want to immigrate into it."

Garcia and Allen, and the Rev. Robin Hoover, president of Humane Borders, said the temporary-worker plan will do no good without worker-protection guarantees, an element not mentioned in the speech.

Hoover said the National Guard would be better used interviewing illegal entrants already living inside the country to speed up the legalization process.

Arizona's anti-illegal-immigration activists said the president's plan won't accomplish anything.

"They'll be sitting around doing absolutely nothing," said Minuteman Civil Defense Corps President Chris Simcox. "It's smoke and mirrors, it's a joke. And anybody that buys it is the fool that the president thinks they are."

Simcox said the president was clearly pandering for votes and attempting to appease his voting base.

A Better Way To Guard

2006-05-15T23:42:00.000-04:00

Robin figures it this way: 6,000 National Guard troops, each working 8-hour days for 250 days, could interview 12 million immigrants living illegally in the United States. If they did that, the United States woould be a whole lot safer than it would be under the plan outlined by the president tonight. (Official White House transcript here.)

What Bush Said

2006-05-15T21:12:00.000-04:00

Text of Bush's speech here. The full Senate has started debate on the bill again. Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship.

A complete phone list of every U.S. Senator is here. The subcommittee page is here. Here are the subcommittee members. Members' names link to their contact pages. Contact them. Remember: The reason this law has progressed this far is because somebody's hollering louder than we are. Speak up!

Republican Members

John Cornyn, TX (Chairman)
Charles E. Grassley, IA
Jon Kyl, AZ
Mike DeWine, OH
Jeff Sessions, AL
Sam Brownback, KS
Tom Coburn, OK

Democratic Members

Edward M. Kennedy, MA (Ranking Democrat)
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., DE
Dianne Feinstein, CA
Russell D. Feingold, WI
Charles E. Schumer, NY
Richard J. Durbin, IL

Those Hunter Brothers

2006-04-22T17:11:00.000-04:00

Sooner or later, someone was going to pick up on the tale of two Hunters. Here's the AP:

Growing up in Southern California, Duncan Hunter and his younger brother, John, shot geese together and fished for bass.

As adults, they chat by phone nearly every day and meet up for an occasional round of golf. They remain close even though their views are sometimes at odds -- notably on the latest hot-button topic before Congress, immigration.

Many siblings agree to disagree on politics; the Hunter brothers' divide goes deeper than arguments around the dinner table.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is a hero to immigration hard-liners. The California Republican is almost single-handedly responsible for a superfortified stretch of border -- a 14-mile barrier in San Diego that is nearing completion.

John Hunter, toy inventor and physicist, is trying to prevent the deaths that many consider an unintended consequence of his brother's fence. His pioneering work providing water in the California desert to illegal border crossers is revered by liberals.

We like this quote from John:

"We're actionists, not activists," he told 35 volunteers one Saturday morning in Ocotillo, a desert hamlet about 70 miles east of San Diego. "Everyone has an opinion (about immigration), but that's not why we're here. Our only issue is survival."

Full story here, including a quote at the bottom from Robin.

MSNBC Uses Our Maps

2006-04-12T22:03:00.000-04:00

MSNBC maps border deaths. Full story here. Humane Borders maps page here.

Call To Elected Officials

2006-04-04T20:49:00.000-04:00

Humane Borders calls upon the Governor other elected officials, public administrators, and candidates for offices in the state of Arizona to reach for the moral high ground in the immigration debate. It is time to turn to those who are putting forward the anti-migrant legislation and say, “You are right. We can only manage some of the effects of the migration. As for me and my staff, my household, we’re going to seek to reduce the number of migrants who are dying the in the desert. We’re going to make efforts to reunite the bodies of dead migrants with their families in Mexico. We’re going to let humanitarian groups have access to Arizona State Trust Lands. It’s immoral to be able to on Trust lands and hunt and kill but not to save lives and distribute water. We’re going to work toward putting more cell phone towers in the desert to support all of our first responders, tourists, citizens, and others as well as to enable migrants to call for life-saving help when it is needed. We’re going to commit state resources to find ways to save money by more effectively and efficiently providing life-saving technologies in the deserts.”

These are the voices that need to be heard in this debate. These are the words that are not only right to be spoken, they are words that have political power. It’s time that our leaders speak up and say that they not only love Mexican tomatoes but that they also love Mexicans. It’s time that leaders stand up and support our children walking out of their schools for they are honoring their mothers and their fathers. They are practicing their civics lessons. They are exercising their rights. It’s time that our leaders quit spending so much energy on bills that center on how many dollars are being spent on whom and start spending some energy on human beings in peril.

When we look at the face of the migrant, far too often it is a dead migrant. It’s not a person trying to cheat the system, not a person trying to cheat us. It’s a person who is here to get a better job. We and our neighbors are giving them the jobs. When we look at what is going on, we need to see the people, and our leaders need to see us looking.

Thank God this conversation is going public. Thank God, we have texts like the story of the Good Samaritan, of Matthew 25, and of Leviticus 19 teaching us how to live together as a people. Thank God that we have the opportunity, which we will exercise to vote in every election. Thank God some people listen and some people get it.

More here.

Chavez Week Public Lecture

2006-04-04T19:15:00.000-04:00

Robin was invited to speak at Fresno State's recent Cesar Chavez Week gathering. Here's his speech, as it appears on our main site.

Careful What You Wish For

2006-03-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

AP: "The only vote of the day came on a proposal by Frist for a study of the number and causes of deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border. It passed 94-0." More of the lovely decorum displayed by our well educated, well spoken, high public policy-minded lawmakers here.

Um, Senator? Please visit our bibliography page here. We have a link to the official GAO report "INS's Southwest Border Strategy: Resource and Impact Issues Remain After Seven Years." Or download it here.

We know what causes the deaths, Senator. How can it be that you and your colleagues do not?

In USA Today Today

2006-03-31T08:47:00.000-05:00

USA Today asks: Aren't people who provide humanitarian aid to undocumented immigrants only encouraging more people to cross the border illegally? Robin answers: There is no evidence whatsoever that the presence of some water in the desert encourages migration. If you want to carry that kind thinking to its logical end, then we would have to tear up the interstate highways because people are using interstate highways to smuggle dope. Those are ridiculous reductionist arguments. All of the humanitarian groups that I know of that operate in California and Arizona go to great lengths to warn migrants of the explicit dangers before them. I would say we're actually doing a better job of trying to manage the migration than the folks that are throwing rocks at us.

Cooler Heads May Prevail

2006-03-27T20:13:00.000-05:00

From the AP covering the Senate Judiciary Committee:

The panel ... decided on a closer vote to make sure that humanitarian organizations are sheltered from prosecution if they provide non-emergency assistance to illegal residents.

Ummm. what about real emergency assistance? The full Senate starts debate tomorrow on its version of the House bill. Here's our list of key Senate contacts.

500,000 Peacefully March

2006-03-26T05:42:00.000-05:00

That's a half-million in L.A. alone, folks. Look at this picture.

Thousands March For Migrants

2006-03-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

We knew this was coming. AP reports: Thousands of people across the country protested Friday against legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants, with demonstrators in such cities as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Atlanta staging school walkouts, marches and work stoppages.

Hooover At Fresno State

2006-03-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

Humane Borders' president Rev. Robin Hoover will speak at Fresno State March 29 for the Chavez observance. Here's the Fresno State press release.

What Hillary Clinton Said

2006-03-22T23:20:00.000-05:00

Nina Bernstein writes in the New York Times:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton invoked the Bible yesterday to criticize a stringent border security measure that, among other things, would make it a federal crime to offer aid to illegal immigrants.

"It is hard to believe that a Republican leadership that is constantly talking about values and about faith would put forth such a mean-spirited piece of legislation," she said of the measure, which was passed by the House of Representatives in December and mirrored a companion Senate bill introduced last week by Senator Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican and the majority leader.

"It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," she said. "We need to sound the alarm about what is being done in the Congress."

More here, but registration is required.

What Cardinal Mahony Said

2006-03-22T23:11:00.000-05:00

Today on the New York Times op-ed page, Cadinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles made a strong case for faith-based humanitarian aid:

I've received a lot of criticism for stating last month that I would instruct the priests of my archdiocese to disobey a proposed law that would subject them, as well as other church and humanitarian workers, to criminal penalties. The proposed Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives in December and is expected to be taken up by the Senate next week, would among other things subject to five years in prison anyone who "assists" an undocumented immigrant "to remain in the United States."

Some supporters of the bill have even accused the church of encouraging illegal immigration and meddling in politics. But I stand by my statement. Part of the mission of the Roman Catholic Church is to help people in need. It is our Gospel mandate, in which Christ instructs us to clothe the naked, feed the poor and welcome the stranger. Indeed, the Catholic Church, through Catholic Charities agencies around the country, is one of the largest nonprofit providers of social services in the nation, serving both citizens and immigrants.

Providing humanitarian assistance to those in need should not be made a crime, as the House bill decrees. As written, the proposed law is so broad that it would criminalize even minor acts of mercy like offering a meal or administering first aid.

Current law does not require social service agencies to obtain evidence of legal status before rendering aid, nor should it. Denying aid to a fellow human being violates a law with a higher authority than Congress — the law of God.

That does not mean that the Catholic Church encourages or supports illegal immigration. Every day in our parishes, social service programs, hospitals and schools, we witness the baleful consequences of illegal immigration. Families are separated, workers are exploited and migrants are left by smugglers to die in the desert. Illegal immigration serves neither the migrant nor the common good.

What the church supports is an overhaul of the immigration system so that legal status and legal channels for migration replace illegal status and illegal immigration. Creating legal structures for migration protects not only those who migrate but also our nation, by giving the government the ability to better identify who is in the country as well as to control who enters it.

Only comprehensive reform of the immigration system, embodied in the principles of another proposal in Congress, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration bill, will help solve our current immigration crisis.

Enforcement-only proposals like the Border Protection act take the country in the opposite direction. Increasing penalties, building more detention centers and erecting walls along our border with Mexico, as the act provides, will not solve the problem.

The legislation will not deter migrants who are desperate to survive and support their families from seeking jobs in the United States. It will only drive them further into the shadows, encourage the creation of more elaborate smuggling networks and cause hardship and suffering. I hope that the Senate will not take the same enforcement-only road as the House.

The unspoken truth of the immigration debate is that at the same time our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented workers, we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers. They work in industries that are vital to our economy yet they have little legal protection and no opportunity to contribute fully to our nation.

While we gladly accept their taxes and sweat, we do not acknowledge or uphold their basic labor rights. At the same time, we scapegoat them for our social ills and label them as security threats and criminals to justify the passage of anti-immigrant bills.

This situation affects the dignity of millions of our fellow human beings and makes immigration, ultimately, a moral and ethical issue. That is why the church is compelled to take a stand against harmful legislation and to work toward positive change.

It is my hope that our elected officials will understand this and enact immigration reform that respects our common humanity and reflects the values — fairness, compassion and opportunity — upon which our nation, a nation of immigrants, was built.

Give A Migrant A Camera

2006-03-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

And look what happens.

Frist Muddies Waters

2006-03-17T07:02:00.000-05:00

Charles Hurt writes in the Washington Times:

Adding further pressure to Mr. Specter's committee, Mr. Frist announced that he will bypass Judiciary and introduce his own border-security bill to the Senate floor when Congress returns March 27 from the St. Patrick's Day recess.

"Our country needs security at our borders in order to slow the flow of illegal immigration and make America safer from foreign criminals and terrorists," said Mr. Frist, who has been mentioned as a 2008 presidential candidate. He told reporters that he expects a guest-worker program to be added on the Senate floor.

Mr. Specter called Mr. Frist's proposal to draft a bill on the floor a "colossal mistake." Mr. Frist's bill mirrors the proposal that Mr. Specter offered, but without the provisions dealing with the nation's estimated 12 million illegal aliens or any guest-worker program.

We've compiled a contact list of the Senators on the committee here. Contact them!

Napolitano's Hand

2006-03-13T21:23:00.000-05:00

Chip Scutari of the Arizona Republic writes:

Trying to get the upper hand on the brewing battle over border security, Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano Wednesday issued an executive order to expand the National Guard's presence at the state's border with Mexico to combat undocumented immigration.

Napolitano said a measure the Legislature is expected to pass Wednesday violates the state Constitution by usurping her authority to command the National Guard. Republican leaders say if she vetoes the measure, she will violate her promise to beef up border security.

"There is one commander in chief, not 90," Napolitano told reporters Wednesday. "The Legislature is about to send me a bill which they know is unconstitutional because it mandates use of the guard. I've issued an executive order for the guard to be on the border."

Traffic Up Through Sasabe

2006-03-13T21:19:00.000-05:00

Arthur Rotstein of the AP writes: "U.S. Border Patrol officials are seeing a significant increase in the number of illegal immigrants being smuggled through what's known as the Sasabe corridor southwest of Tucson." Why?

Since last summer and fall, areas cutting through the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, with its diverse vegetation and shorter distances from the border to well-traveled roads in some instances, have gained currency as smugglers try to evade capture by Border Patrol agents.

CampusTap Immigration

2006-03-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

We recently heard from the good folks running CampusTap, a sort of blog/calendar/meetup site for Harvard University students where, "Members of the university contribute content and share their ideas with the university community and the general public through personal blogs and participation in group blogs." They have an excellent section on immigration. So excellent, in fact, they we've loaned them some photos. And we're happy now to include them in our links list, at right.

How Big? Soooo Big

2006-03-08T22:45:00.000-05:00

Rep. Kolbe, no friend to the build-a-wall-and-kick-'em-out crowd, took some of his esteemed colleagues on a little tour of the big border recently, far from the hallowed halls of Congress where it's oh-so-easy to hold forth on so much with so little knowledge. As reported by Mike Madden in the Arizona Republic:

During the tour, lawmakers flew along the border between Naco and Douglas in Customs and Border Protection Blackhawk helicopters, with Kolbe and Border Patrol agents pointing out trails used by immigrants to cross into the United States illegally and mountainous terrain that agents can't easily cover. They visited the Naco Border Patrol station Saturday night as agents processed more than 30 undocumented immigrants caught earlier in the evening. They also watched cameras track suspected border-crossers near the Naco fence.

Whether the tour changed any minds is hard to tell. But here's a telling quote:

I just can't get over how massive this is, compared to (the border) in California," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., a Los Angeles-area lawmaker who co-wrote the House bill's mandate for miles of fencing, including some in Arizona. "In California, it's so tiny. The prospect of a wall is kind of a tough, tough thing (in Arizona).

Yes, Congressman. That's right.

Senate: Work Legally

2006-03-03T05:35:00.000-05:00

Arizona Republic's Mike Madden writes:

Millions of undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before 2004 could work legally under a new plan that the Senate will start debating next week. If passed, it would bring sweeping changes to border security and immigration laws.

Everyone knows this will be hard.

"The committee must grapple with a realistic means of bringing out from the shadows the possible 11 million illegal aliens in the United States," Specter wrote.

(They're talking about the Senate version of this bill.)

Knight-Ridder's Dave Montgomery writes:

As a starting point for the Judiciary Committee's deliberations, Specter last week unveiled a 305-page bill that includes a guest-worker program as well as toughened law-enforcement provisions. Specter's compromise package includes elements from two other major bills — one co-sponsored by Cornyn and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and the other by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

The committee took no votes Thursday, but opening statements by members suggested Specter faces an arduous task in trying to find a compromise.

Here's the challenge:

"If we go forward on a temporary worker program, our problems will get worse," declared Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Ash Wednesday, El Tiradito

2006-03-03T05:32:00.000-05:00

Tucson Citizen's Claudine LoMonaco writes:

Four-year-old Maya Luna stared through her mop of blond curls as the Rev. Bob Carney gently placed a cross of black ashes on her tiny forehead.

Maya Luna was the youngest of nearly 100 people who observed Ash Wednesday with a special service in honor of the more than 3,000 people who have died trying to cross the Mexican border into the United States.

Thank You Kristin Roth

2006-03-03T05:26:00.000-05:00

Arizona Daily Star's Lourdes Medrano writes:

University of Arizona President Peter Likins has issued a formal written apology to a Mexican official whose Spanish-language talk Friday was cut short by immigration restrictionists who loudly demanded that he speak in English or provide an interpreter.

Into the fray steps Kristen Roth:

Kristin Roth, a Humane Borders volunteer who doesn't speak Spanish but attended Farah's talk to show her support, welcomed Likins' apology.

"I'm happy that the president is doing what he can to rectify the situation. It was just shameful that it happened," said Roth, one of several Tucsonans who discussed the incident with Likins Friday.

H.R. 4437: Speak Up!

2006-03-03T04:45:00.000-05:00

The Gospel vs. H.R. 4437

2006-03-03T04:14:00.000-05:00

From an editorial in today's New York Times:

It has been a long time since this country heard a call to organized lawbreaking on this big a scale. Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation's largest, urged parishioners on Ash Wednesday to devote the 40 days of Lent to fasting, prayer and reflection on the need for humane reform of immigration laws. If current efforts in Congress make it a felony to shield or offer support to illegal immigrants, Cardinal Mahony said, he will instruct his priests — and faithful lay Catholics — to defy the law.

The House recently passed H.R. 4437. Here is the bill. (If the link doesn't work, go here, copy and paste the bill # into the search field, click the "search by bill number" option and click "search."

Here's the section to be concerned about:

SEC. 274. (a) Criminal Offenses and Penalties-
`(1) PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES- Whoever--
`(A) assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to come to or enter the United States, or to attempt to come to or enter the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to come to or enter the United States;
`(B) assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to come to or enter the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other than as designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security, regardless of whether such person has official permission or lawful authority to be in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien;
`(C) assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to reside in or remain in the United States, or to attempt to reside in or remain in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to reside in or remain in the United States;
`(D) transports or moves a person in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to enter or be in the United States, where the transportation or movement will aid or further in any manner the person's illegal entry into or illegal presence in the United States;
`(E) harbors, conceals, or shields from detection a person in the United States knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to be in the United States;
`(F) transports, moves, harbors, conceals, or shields from detection a person outside of the United States knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien in unlawful transit from one country to another or on the high seas, under circumstances in which the person is in fact seeking to enter the United States without official permission or lawful authority; or
`(G) conspires or attempts to commit any of the preceding acts,
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (2), regardless of any official action which may later be taken with respect to such alien.
`(2) CRIMINAL PENALTIES- A person who violates the provisions of paragraph (1) shall--
`(A) except as provided in subparagraphs (D) through (H), in the case where the offense was not committed for commercial advantage, profit, or private financial gain, be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both;
`(B) except as provided in subparagraphs (C) through (H), where the offense was committed for commercial advantage, profit, or private financial gain--
`(i) in the case of a first violation of this subparagraph, be imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both; and
`(ii) for any subsequent violation, be imprisoned for not less than 3 years nor more than 20 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both;
`(C) in the case where the offense was committed for commercial advantage, profit, or private financial gain and involved 2 or more aliens other than the offender, be imprisoned for not less than 3 nor more than 20 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both;
`(D) in the case where the offense furthers or aids the commission of any other offense against the United States or any State, which offense is punishable by imprisonment for more than 1 year, be imprisoned for not less than 5 nor more than 20 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both;
`(E) in the case where any participant in the offense created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person, including--
`(i) transporting a person in an engine compartment, storage compartment, or other confined space;
`(ii) transporting a person at an excessive speed or in excess of the rated capacity of the means of transportation; or
`(iii) transporting or harboring a person in a crowded, dangerous, or inhumane manner,
be imprisoned not less than 5 nor more than 20 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both;
`(F) in the case where the offense caused serious bodily injury (as defined in section 1365 of title 18, United States Code, including any conduct that would violate sections 2241 or 2242 of title 18, United States Code, if the conduct occurred in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States) to any person, be imprisoned for not less than 7 nor more than 30 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both;
`(G) in the case where the offense involved an alien who the offender knew or had reason to believe was an alien--
`(i) engaged in terrorist activity (as defined in section 212(a)(3)(B)); or
`(ii) intending to engage in such terrorist activity,
be imprisoned for not less than 10 nor more than 30 years, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both; and
`(H) in the case where the offense caused or resulted in the death of any person, be punished by death or imprisoned for not less than 10 years, or any term of years, or for life, or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both.

12 Years, 4,000 Dead

2006-02-19T15:45:00.000-05:00

Daniel Gonzalez reports in the Arizona Republic:

In a little while, Enrique Morones would plant the white cross into the ground, a symbolic gesture in memory of the estimated 4,000 migrants who have died crossing the U.S.-Mexican border in the past 12 years.

But for the moment, Morones leaned on the cross like it was a cane, already looking weary though his cross-country journey had just begun.

More.

Chertoff Short Sighted

2006-02-09T08:40:00.000-05:00

From an editorial in the U.C.-Irvine student newspaper: Rhetoric aside, Humane Borders is correct to point out that the aborted program might well have saved countless lives. Chertoff’s dismissal of the program as nothing more than a badly conceived attempt to salve our country’s illegal immigration problems, “sin” or not, is short-sighted at the very least.

Pull Yer Boots On

2006-02-09T08:39:00.001-05:00

Linda Valdez writes in an Arizona Republic op-ed:

"Both George W. Bush and Gutiérrez's boss, Mexican President Vicente Fox, are ineligible to run for re-election. When they were newer presidents, these two rancher politicians vowed to work together to wrangle a guest-worker program.

Then came Sept. 11, 2001. Legitimate U.S. concerns about terrorism stalled immigration reform, which is ironic because getting control of the border would serve national security.

Now, immigration reform is likely to become what Gutiérrez calls a "political piñata" in this year's Mexican presidential election and in the U.S. midterm elections.

Imagine what could happen if two lame ducks pulled on their cowboy boots and stomped out a legacy.

More From Sundance

2006-02-09T08:39:00.000-05:00

There's a review of the Sundance Film Festival in Indian Country Today by Brenda Norrell that inlcludes this: "Tohono O'odham Mike Wilson was also featured in a film at Sundance: Joseph Mathew's documentary, ''Crossing Arizona.'' The film examines both sides of the immigration debate in Arizona and the failings of U.S. immigration policy."

Bush Reaction

2006-02-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Mike Madden of the Arizona Republic covers the new Bush border clampdown. All sides get their shot. Including us.

"Activists and analysts said Bush's proposal could slow, but would not stop, illegal immigration.

"Since 1993, we've tripled the number of agents and we've multiplied the amount of technology, and we've not reduced the number of people who are coming by one person," said the Rev. Robin Hoover, president of Humane Borders, a Tucson group that provides water stations in the desert.

The Ethical Way

2006-02-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

HB President Robin Hoover interviewed in the Chicago Tribune: "This is the ethical way to deal with this issue," Hoover said. "Many immigrants don't have any information. People [smugglers] are lying to them. If we can give them the information in the sending communities, they could make an informed decision whether to come or not."

It's Humanitarian

2006-02-02T20:03:00.001-05:00

HB vice president Paul Fuschini, interviewed by ABC News: "We're just trying to save lives. That's what we are, a faith-based group," said Paul Fuschini, vice president of Humane Borders. "This is a humanitarian effort."

C'mon, Mr. Secretary

2006-02-02T20:03:00.000-05:00

Linda Valdez, who went with us to Mexico, writing in an Arizona Republic op-ed:

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff condemned Mexico's plan to distribute the maps, which were produced by the Tucson-based group Humane Borders. He said they could "encourage illegal immigration."

C'mon, Mr. Secretary.

What encourages illegal immigration is the availability of jobs in the United States. These jobs offer such hope to poor people that they have found a way around, under or through every one of the enforcement strategies the U.S. government has tried. These strategies have pushed illegal immigrants into tough, desert terrain where hundreds of them die each year.

Violent Discourse

2006-02-02T20:02:00.000-05:00

Christian Ramirez, director of the American Friends Service Commitee in San Diego, interviewed by Pacific News Service. "In 2004, the mainstream media began covering border issues, and the language turned to "broken border" "alien invasion." We began to see a very violent discourse, a justified use of violence. "

Tucker Carlson Doesn't Get It

2006-01-31T19:53:00.000-05:00

MSNBC's satellite truck was parked outside the church the other day. Inside, Tucker Carlson, complete with bow tie, conducted an inquisition masquerading as an interview. Sample:

TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, ‘SITUATION’: Why are you helping people break American law?

REV. ROBIN HOOVER, PRESIDENT, HUMANE BORDERS: That's not what we're doing. We're out here giving real true warnings of what is lying before these folks and trying to counteract the information that the migrants are receiving from the coyotes. We print these warning posters that show them the true distances, as opposed to the coyotes, that tell them that you'll walk a few hours and you're going to be Las Vegas.

Interview transcript and video here.

False Hope? Who's He Kidding?

2006-01-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

According to the AP in the Arizona Republic:

“I’m afraid that maps and water jugs do nothing but give illegal crossers false hope,” Arizona Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a Republican, said in a written statement. “Either we convince potential crossers not to make the journey or, failing that, we stop them from crossing the border.”

False hope? Eleven million people kind of give the opposite impression, don’t you think?

Arizona Rep. Jim Kolbe, a Republican, said he supports the maps as a way of saving lives. But the best way of keeping migrants from dying in the desert is by helping Mexico create jobs and reforming U.S. laws to better manage migration, he said.

“It’s hard to disagree with giving information to your citizens to save their lives,” Kolbe said. “Ideally, what I would prefer is that they hand out flyers saying ‘You don’t have to cross the desert because there are jobs in Mexico, and here is some job information.’ But that isn’t going to happen, because there aren’t jobs in Mexico.”

It’s more than just jobs. It’s what happens when people are denied birth control and they start having babies in their early teens. It’s what happens when law enforcement and teacher salaries are so low, there’s no incentive to protect anything or educate anyone.

By the way, check out Arizona Congress Watch. We're adding it to our links section, at right. There are some choice posts about Hayworth.

Response To Chertoff

2006-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Jan. 26, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

In response to Secretary Michael Chertoff's statement released Jan. 25, 2006, concerning the distribution of informational maps in Mexico:

The United States has now answered the questions "Who is my neighbor?" and "Am I my brother's keeper?" in a shameful and deadly way. To deny children life-saving information in the perverse name of national security is a sin.

Secretary Chertoff has confirmed once again that the U.S. does not care about its neighbors to the south. National Security has become a form of narcissistic self-love, used to pressure other nations into consistent violations of fundamental human rights.

One of the most basic levels of ethics is informed consent. Any nation that denies children information about their health status, environments, or future is guilty of child abuse.

The maps created by Humane Borders have been already systematically deployed along our border for nearly one year.

If the maps were an invitation to cross the border, why did Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Customs and Border Protection report that crossings were down in this area in the past year? Could it be that these numbers are political as in years past, or could it be because of our maps? We make no claims on how effective our maps have been or will be, but it is immoral to deny access to the information we provide.

Our collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission in Mexico should have been applauded. Instead, commission and NGO's on both sides of the border are being bullied.

Now that the U.S. has once again pressured Mexico into another form of submission, Humane Borders will continue to share the life-saving information we have compiled. In fact, what has already been distributed is sufficient for the task.

Through the internet, media outlets and churches in the Western Hemisphere, potential migrants will be informed of the possible dangers of crossing the Arizona border in the simple attempt to save human lives as has been requested by the U.S. Border Patrol on multiple occasions. More than 1000 migrants have died in Arizona in 5 years. Countless have suffered.

This nation cannot into debate about comprehensive immigration reform without considering the human cost and the image of the U.S. in the world. The policies of the U.S. result in hundreds of thousands of people being herded down death trails. Even the architects of the current failed policies say this is wrong.

The Mexico-U.S. migration is the largest in the world. Academics tell U.S. that the U.S. has not reduced on average the number of migrants illegally crossing the border by even one person each year. The result of increased law enforcement is simply that migrants have chosen to cross more deadly areas.

Faith-based support has been received through emergency relief funds from The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), the United Methodist Church and multiple Roman Catholic institutions and numerous congregational gifts from all over the U.S. to support this life-saving ministry.

Humane Borders and the many faith communities that support migrant safety and basic human rights understand that Mexico is our neighbor and that we are our brother's keeper. According to Matthew 25, when we have not provided water to our neighbor, we have not provided it to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Dobbs, The Border And Faith

2006-01-26T07:21:00.000-05:00

Lou Dobbs has used his anchor slot at CNN to campaign for a militarized border for a number of years now. But to give credit where it's due, he's offered the microphone to leaders of different faith traditions in this past week to talk about how and why they have become involved in U.S. immigration policies. In one interview he talks with (transcript) Rev. Bob Edgar, the General Secretary the National Council of Churches. In another (transcript) he interviews Richard Foltin, the legislative director and council for the American Jewish Committee, and Bishop Jaime Soto, board member of The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, and an adviser for the U.S. Catholic bishops on Immigration issues. The interviews are late in his show, so they're low on the transcripts -- scroll way down to read.

Blind

2006-01-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

We've been deluged with reaction to the news about our collaboration with Mexico's Human Rights Commission. And no wonder. Stateside, the AP story about the press conference in Mexico city portrayed our work as an effort to help migrants to sneak across the border. Nowhere in the story did the reporter mention the fact that the warning posters show the real walking time through the desert. The whole point of the posters -- to show would-be migrants the reality of the situation rather than the lies whispered in their ears from smugglers -- was passed by.

Crossing Arizona: Sundance

2006-01-23T16:47:00.000-05:00

Joseph Mathews is making waves at this year's Sundance Film Festival with Crossing Arizona. Here's how festival writer Shari Frilot describes it:

Focusing on personal stories of local people on both sides of the border whose lives are directly affected by Washington policies, Mathew follows a dynamic array of individuals: the U.S. Border Patrol, the citizen border-patrol group, Minutemen, Latino activists, and the emigrants themselves. Crossing Arizona is not only essential viewing to understand how a majestic corner of the country has transformed into a political hotbed and deadly immigration flashpoint; it also creates an opportunity to contemplate and question larger issues about the American society in which we live.

According to a post by film producer Dan DeVivo, Chris Simcox of the MinuteMan Project, Ray Ybarra of the ACLU, and Mike Wilson of The Tohono Odham Nation were on hand for the premiere. Afterwards, Devivo writes, "The Q&A afterwards focused soley on the issues. And it was great to have three characters from the film there to shape the debate. Some Minute Men even showed up and we made sure they were able to get tickets to see the film. After the screening, one of them wrote me: "It is, in fact, an utter disappointment that any honorable U.S. citizen would make such a film." The official film site is here. MSNBC talks about the festival's various documentaries here. There's an independent review at Cinematical:

In Crossing Arizona, director Joseph Mathew looks at illegal immigration to America from Mexico by looking at the people and politics of one region, and the end result is a documentary that casts more light than heat on both sides of the issue, even if you can't help but wish the film had actually come up to a slightly more invigorating boil.

Not Aiding And Abetting

2006-01-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

From Mexico City (see below), Robin writes:

Various news entities frequently ask the question, "What do you say to those who say you are simply aiding and abetting criminal behavior?"

We're tired of this question, and it hurts us. Therefore, when this question is asked in interviews in the future, we will ask a few questions in return: Who specifically has made that charge? On what basis? Do they have evidence? Facts? Are you aware that your question implies we knowingly break the law? If that's what you believe, can you please be so kind as to show us evidence?

The questioner would be well advised to remember that the United States judicial system is not based on guilt by inference. Absent specific charges by specific person(s), the question merely spreads inuendo. Printing or broadcasting such accusations may be intentionally defanatory and thus slanderous or libelous.

Beyond that, and even to the degree to which we accept that the question is legitimate hypothetical inquiry, if we really were aiding and abetting criminal behavior, the following things would also be true.

First, the United States Border Patrol agents who frequently ask us for water would have to quit using our water stations for fear of being invtestigated by the Office of Inspector General for using illicit water.

Second, the United States would have to revoke permits negotiated by the Department of Justice and the Department of Interior, signed by the Solicitor of the United States which explicitly authorize the operation of Humane Borders water stations on federal properties.

Third, anyone bringing a specific charge would have to find an applicable jurisdiction and set about trying to reverse the requirements made by federal property managers exercising administrative discretion to require Humane Borders, Inc. to conduct a public education programs in Spanish, in Mexico, notifying migrants of our water station locations.

Finally, any prospective prosecutor would have to be reminded by the prospective jurisdiction and authority that what Humane Borders, Inc. is doing is protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of the free exercise of religion.

New Maps, Warning Posters

2006-01-20T15:58:00.000-05:00

To accompany the news release below, we've published the new migrant death and water station maps, along with the latest version of the warning posters, on the site. Click here to see them. Note: Some of the files are very, very large and will take a few minutes to download.

Cooperation Agreement

2006-01-19T16:42:00.000-05:00

(Note: A copy of this press release is also available at the Humane Borders Web site.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Humane Borders, Inc. and Mexico's National Commission for Human Rights announce a joint migrant safety education project. A press conference hosted by a delegation of 21 Humane Borders volunteers will be held in Mexico City January 24 at 10a.m. The media are invited to Hotel Maria Cristina, Rio Lerma 31, Col. Cuauhtemoc. The hotel is just three blocks east of the US Embassy on Paseo de la Reforma.

Using Global Information System technology, Humane Borders produces accurate migrant death maps and migrant warning posters in an attempt to educate migrants as to the specific dangers of crossing the border in the desert. However, it has been difficult to systematically distribute these maps in critical areas in the interior of Mexico. Mexico's human rights commission (CNDH) has agreed to both print and widely distribute these maps into sending communities in as effort to alter the annual migration patterns and migrant decision-making.

The most basic level of ethics is informed consent. By equipping migrants with real information: where migrants die, where roads are, where water stations are and are not, distances to cities and towns, which months are the deadliest, the hope is that migrants will choose not to come in the deadliest months and to take safer routes if they choose to cross the desert anyway. This approach to migrant education is believed to be better than scaring migrants with Public Service Announcements or simply wishing the migrants well on their journey. Specific information will equip migrants to make better decisions.

The need for dependable information is urgent. On January 11, more than 1,800 migrants passed through the El Tortugo checkpoint, approximately 21 miles south of Sasabe, Arizona. This is alarming because it is both early in the annual migration and the numbers are higher than in any previous year. The percentage of migrants who are women and children is also increasing.

Humane Borders will release details of its research concerning cell phone towers and migrant self-reported rescues. Positions will be taken on state and national legislative proposals and propose alternatives to the international communities concerned with migration.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

HUMANE BORDERS, INC.
Office: 520-628-7753

Rev. Robin Hoover, Ph.D., president: 520-360-7818 or 520-247-9068

To Mexico City

2006-01-19T07:03:00.000-05:00

A Humane Borders delegation will meet with Mexico's human rights commission Jan. 19-25 in Mexico City to present the warning posters/maps, meet with high level Mexican officials, perhaps make a presentation at the university, and hold a press conference to spread the word and warnings.

Six Day Walk

2006-01-19T06:59:00.000-05:00

Robert Flynn, a Texas writer, penned a wide-ranging border piece for the op-ed section of the San Antonio Express-News.

Hoover On Velasco: Ya Basta!

2006-01-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's Tucson Citizen reports:

A federal magistrate has declined to dismiss human-smuggling charges against two volunteers of a humanitarian group.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernardo P. Velasco yesterday denied the request for dismissal by attorneys for Shanti Sellz and Daniel Strauss."

Defense attorneys and prosecutors have 10 days to submit written objections or recommendations. Those remarks will be forwarded to U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins, who will decide whether the volunteers with the group No More Deaths should be tried.

Defense attorneys argued that Sellz and Strauss were rendering medical aid and were not in violation of a law that forbids helping "in furtherance" of an illegal presence in the country.

Sellz and Strauss were driving three illegal immigrants last summer from the desert near Arivaca to Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson when they were arrested.

Velasco said rendering aid in the desert with few resources is different than transporting illegal immigrants to a metropolitan area and releasing them.

"The issue, therefore, is whether the illegal aliens treated at Southside Presbyterian Church and thereafter allowed to melt into Tucson, Arizona, have been assisted 'in furtherance' of their illegal entry," Velasco wrote. "The answer is yes."

Robin's not happy, especially because Velasco took at shot at Humane Borders from the bench, saying we construct "smuggling corridors."

"Judge Velasco needs to be reminded that everyday -- and some days, many times a day -- agents of the United States Border Patrol take migrants to the hospital and dump them out at the door. The bills for the care are not paid, and the migrants are allowed to "melt into Tucson." At least the NMD volunteers were not transferring costs to the rest of us. It seems like I remember that all authority for government rises from the authority that is inherent in the people. It certainly looks like the Border Patrol emulates the public on this one. And would this have happened like this in St. Louis? Where does the border begin and end? If the key phrase is "in furtherance", does that mean that the penalties get worse the closer you get to the geographical center of the US? Where is that? Ya Basta!"

Never Peaceful

2006-01-10T21:41:00.000-05:00

Writing in Tucson Weekly, Tim Vanderpool has an excellent piece on the escalating violence on the line.

No one has ever mistaken the U.S.-Mexico border for a particularly peaceful place. From Indian wars and cutthroat bandits to 19th-century Americans lusting for fiefdoms in Sonora, this line has always perpetrated mischief. But the broad ferocity of today's borderline seems unique.

In part, it can be blamed on a shifting drug trade, increasingly ruthless coyotes and internecine battles for smuggling corridors among various criminal cartels.

But evolving U.S. security strategies, begun in the 1990s, also play a role. They bear brawny names, from El Paso's Operation Hold the Line and San Diego's Operation Gatekeeper to Arizona's Operation Safeguard. And these variously labeled Border Patrol operations share one key element: spinning a thick enforcement web around towns like Nogales and Douglas, thereby forcing crossers out into the desert, where they're more easily nabbed.

Not surprisingly, these tactics are also highly controversial for driving migration routes deep in the backcountry, where illegal aliens are more likely to die. In the last fiscal year alone, a record 279 known immigrants died along the Arizona-Mexico border.

BORSTAR Exports

2006-01-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

According to KVOA: "There is a multi-government effort to save lives on the border. For the first time, Border Patrol agents, trained in search and rescue, are taking their skills across the border into Mexico."

Yes. They value working with, rather than against, the Mexican government. So do we. That's why we have a delegation heading south Jan. 19.

More And More Women

2006-01-10T21:25:00.000-05:00

The New York Times (reg. req.) uses the story of Normaeli Gallardo, a single mother from Acapulco, to explain why more and more women risk their lives to cross.

And finally, Ms. Gallardo, 38, who earned $50 a week at an Acapulco hotel, had to contemplate life without her two vivacious daughters, Isabel, 7, and Fernanda, 5. That once unimaginable trade-off - leaving her children behind so they could one day leave poverty behind - had suddenly become her only option.

Kat Rodriguez is quoted:

But to most of the women who cross the border, the debate over illegal immigration and the ire of taxpayers has little bearing, if any, on the difficult decision they make to undertake the journey. " 'Vale la pena,' " said Kat Rodriguez, an organizer for the Human Rights Coalition in Tucson, echoing a refrain among the women. " 'It's worth it.'"

Update: Here's the same story, accessible without registration, at the International Herald Tribune.

Ufford-Chase In D.C.

2006-01-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

Southside Presbyterian's very own Rick Ufford-Chase, now Moderator, 216th General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (USA), has his own blog. (He's had it for a while, but it's new to us. Thanks for the heads up, Kiva.) We've added a permanent link to it , and used it to find the text of his Dec. 11 sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on border justice.

Kolbe Blisters Bill

2006-01-04T08:01:00.000-05:00

"Unfortunately, the bill before us today does nothing to solve the real problems of immigration. In fact, it's worse than nothing. It's worse than nothing because it tries to fool the public. It pulls the wool over their eyes. It pretends we are doing something to secure our border when in fact we are doing nothing except throw words and money at the problem. Anyone who really cares about a solution to our immigration woes knows that border enforcement is one prong of a three-part solution. The first is enforcement - border enforcement and employer enforcement. Second, you also must have some means of allowing those who want to work, and are willing to work, (to) come legally into the United States to work on a temporary basis. And thirdly, you have to deal with the 10-11-12-million people who are already in this country illegally. Now that's the reality." From a speech by Rep. Jim Kolbe, as recounted in the Arizona Republic.

Kolbe's speech reinforces the thesis of Peter Andreas in Border Games: Policing The U.S.-Mexico Divide, that these high-profile displays of force are less about deterring illegal crossings and more about re-crafting the image of the border and symbolically reaffirming the state's territorial authority -- without actually accomplishing anything in the long haul.

The feds most recently proved this point with a 2001 GAO report about the effects of the last big show of force, Operation Gatekeeper and its offspring: "The primary discernable effect of the strategy, based on INS' apprehension statistics, appears to be a shifting of the illegal alien traffic. Between 1998 and 2000, apprehensions declined in three Border Patrol sectors, San Diego, CA, and El Paso and McAllen TX, but increased in five of the other six Southwest border sectors," the report states, and later adds that, "A study of migrant deaths along the Southwest border concluded that while migrants have always faced danger crossing the border and many died before INS began its strategy, the strategy has resulted in an increase in deaths from exposure to either heat or cold."

Check our bibliography for more background.

Reason To Be Wary, Part 4

2006-01-04T07:59:00.000-05:00

"The bill -- endorsed by the Bush administration though it would have preferred a more comprehensive bill with a guest-worker program -- would make it a crime to assist undocumented immigrants who enter or attempt to enter the United States illegally. It has sent a chill through church organizations that help migrants in the belief that they are carrying out the will of God." From a report in the Washington Post.

Little Regard For Human Life

2006-01-04T07:56:00.000-05:00

"As long as extreme poverty and oppression continue to exist in Latin America, people from those nations will set out for el norte. We denounce the grim deaths on the border and condemn the proposal for a punitive U.S. policy that shows little regard for human life." From an editorial in El Diario, New York City.

Reason To Be Wary, Part 3

2006-01-04T07:50:00.000-05:00

"Sensenbrenner's bill extends its punitive reach to those who, with good intentions, assist illegal immigrants even in humanitarian ways. Members of organizations that teach English to immigrants or provide social services might be subject to jail terms, according to Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. Under some circumstances, lawyers who counsel immigrants could be ensnared as well, worries C. Duran Dodson, an immigration attorney in Decatur." From an editorial in the Atlanta Constitution.

Reason To Be Wary, Part 2

2006-01-04T07:43:00.000-05:00

As we've said before, "The House bill, expected to go before the Senate in February, would make it a felony to render assistance to any illegal immigrant. Depending on how "assistance" is defined, the bill could make the action of hundreds of church groups, service centers and immigration advocacy organizations subject to prosecution." More in the Denver Post.

No Turning Back

2006-01-04T07:40:00.000-05:00

Many of us have met Enrique, and others like him. He gets top billing here: "For the past eleven years, Enrique Enriquez Palafox has worked on the Mexican border, rescuing migrants in need of food and water. As an employee with Grupo Beta, a Mexican government-sponsored agency whose mission, "Protección a Migrantes," is stamped across the back of his jacket, Palafox is accustomed to the constant search for men, women and children lost in the 23 mile-long stretch of desert between the Mexican border towns of Agua Prieta and Naco."

December News Highlights

2005-12-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

There will be more on this and other matters in the newsletter, which just went out and which will shortly be posted on the main site. We'll post a link here, as well. In the meantime, here are a few major pieces of news:

1. We need health kits. Migration starts up again in February and we'd like to lay in a supply at various church and parish shelters. Click here for more details on what to collect and where to send.

2. Also in relation to the coming migration, Mexico's human rights commission has agreed to print and distribute our warning posters/maps throughout the country. This is cause for great joy and hope.

3. A Humane Borders delegation will meet with Mexico's human rights commission Jan. 19-25 in Mexico City to present the warning posters/maps, meet with high level Mexican officials, perhaps make a presentation at the university, and hold a press conference to spread the word and warnings.

Reason To Be Wary

2005-12-18T18:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we asked whether the new hardliner bill was an attempt to shut down humanitarian aid. Today, the Washington Post doesn't give us any comfort. Here's the lede to a story by Darryly Fears, who interviewed Robin and Tim:

"When Tim Holt spotted Maria Rabanales of El Salvador lying still in the Arizona desert this summer, he believed he had a God-given duty to save her.

He forced water through the woman's swollen jaws and poured ice down her shirt. Border Patrol agents later took Rabanales to a hospital, where she was revived.

Holt was praised by Humane Borders, sponsored by First Christian Church of Tucson, where he is a volunteer. But his actions that June day might soon be considered a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison or property forfeiture, if a Republican-sponsored bill that passed the House along partisan lines on Friday becomes law.

The bill -- endorsed by the Bush administration though it would have preferred a more comprehensive bill with a guest-worker program -- would make it a crime to assist undocumented immigrants who enter or attempt to enter the United States illegally. It has sent a chill through church organizations that help migrants in the belief that they are carrying out the will of God."

Full story here. (reg. req.)

H.R. 4437

2005-12-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Full text here.

How will the Border Patrol read this? Where does humanitarian aid fall on this continuum? It's easy to read this as a sop to the hardliners who believe -- incorrectly and with no supporting data or hard evidence -- that humanitarian aid "assists" or is an "inducement."

SEC. 274. (a) Criminal Offenses and Penalties-
`(1) PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES- Whoever--
`(A) assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to come to or enter the United States, or to attempt to come to or enter the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to come to or enter the United States;
`(B) assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to come to or enter the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other than as designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security, regardless of whether such person has official permission or lawful authority to be in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien;
`(C) assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to reside in or remain in the United States, or to attempt to reside in or remain in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to reside in or remain in the United States;
`(D) transports or moves a person in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to enter or be in the United States, where the transportation or movement will aid or further in any manner the person's illegal entry into or illegal presence in the United States;
`(E) harbors, conceals, or shields from detection a person in the United States knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to be in the United States;
`(F) transports, moves, harbors, conceals, or shields from detection a person outside of the United States knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien in unlawful transit from one country to another or on the high seas, under circumstances in which the person is in fact seeking to enter the United States without official permission or lawful authority; or
`(G) conspires or attempts to commit any of the preceding acts,
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (2), regardless of any official action which may later be taken with respect to such alien.

But No Guest Workers

2005-12-17T06:16:00.000-05:00

The House passed an immigration reform bill Friday, "billed as a border protection, anti-terrorism and illegal immigration control act, includes such measures as enlisting military and local law enforcement help in stopping illegal entrants and requiring employers to verify the legal status of their workers. It authorizes the building of a fence along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border."

The bill would require all employers in the country, more than 7 million, to submit Social Security numbers and other information to a national data base to verify the legal status of workers. The bill also makes unlawful presence in the United States, currently a civil offense, a felony. It also allocates funds to build more walls, fences, barriers etc.

On Thursday, the House approved an amendment calling for construction of a fence in parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Bush has proposed that undocumented immigrants be allowed to get three-year work visas. The president said Friday he strongly supported the bill even though it was missing that, or any other guest worker plan. More from the AP. Will post link to bill shortly.

Divided By Two

2005-12-12T18:26:00.000-05:00

Arizona Republic editorial: There are two Mexicos and two Americas. They need to be reconciled.

Tag: Immigration

Official Propganda

2005-12-12T18:24:00.000-05:00

Here's the official propaganda on the Bush thing. And more. Brought to you by the same folks who say everything's groovy in Iraq.

Tag: Immigration

Makes No Difference

2005-12-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

El Universal: "More U.S. border patrol agents won't stop the northward flow of undocumented migrants, Mexico's Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez said Thursday."

Bush Reaction

2005-12-12T18:20:00.000-05:00

Anne Denogean in the Tucson Citizen: "It's a shame that President Bush didn't go beyond the confines of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base yesterday for his briefing and much-anticipated speech on illegal immigration and border security." Other stories and commentary from the Bush visit and proposals.

>> Chicago Tribune.

>> Detroit Free Press

>> Economist

>> El Paso Times

>> KOLD

>> UPI

Tag: Immigration

Bush Must Regularize Border

2005-11-28T17:11:00.000-05:00

Robin Hoover writes: Bush has been to the border, and many late-to-the-conversation ideologues are riding their news cycles around the national media. As the former governor of Texas, Bush generally knows what needs to be on the table, only he usually has them ranked in reverse priority: security, workers, regularization.

As a matter of justice and security, we should first find out who is here, not by sending them home, but by having them register for a legal status that may or may not lead to citizenship. As many as a million migrants would probably go home for a visit if they had the freedom to travel. Second, we must get the migrants out of the dangerous and delicate desert through participation in a legalized work program that includes the input of the Mexican government, organized labor, and
human rights monitoring. Third, work with "sending" countries through economic development. It must be recognized, though, that economic parity will not stop the migration.

With these three major changes, the number of agents on the border would be enough to handle port inspections and to police the areas between the ports of entry. Then, adding personnel would increase security instead of pushing migrants further into the desert. If 98 percent of the migrants crossing the border were to cross at ports of entry documented, inspected, etc., the assumptions of the agents in the field would automatically change.

Comprehensive reforms include not only attention to these pressing matters but also to asylum law, laws concerning unaccompanied minors, lengths of detention, removal proceedings, including expedited removal, repatriations, and migrant safety issues. Anything less than comprehensive reform would be a disservice to the peoples of the Americas.

What all proposals currently lack is an incentive for visa compliance. In 25 years, the average length of stay for a migrant has quadrupled because of increased border enforcement and the high costs associated with crossing the border. Since many migrants are "trapped" here, many send for their families, placing them at risk by having them cross the desert with coyotes. Far too many, forsake their families and start new lives with new loves here in the US. Any serious attempts at immigration reform must address these social costs of migration.

An economic incentive for visa compliance should be created. Some 43 percent of the persons who are in the US without permission and proper documentation are persons who have overstayed their visas. Authorities cannot track the whereabouts of these persons without changes in law.

I propose a rather simple way to do this. When a migrant comes to the port of entry to enter the US with a new visa, he or she puts up a bond at the port of entry. The amount of the bond should be tied to the average cost of crossing the border. Clearly, migrants can and do spend money crossing the border. A legal visa and a bond would take money out of the human smuggling rings. Employers would be required to pay the migrant a modest hourly stipend. The stipend would be at least higher than the minimum wager to keep unscrupulous employers from paying migrants less than the minimum wage or from breaking covenant with those sheltered workers and minimally paid persons in our society with whom we have a collective social contract.

The amount of the stipend, and perhaps some of the wage, accrues by electronic transfer to the migrants' bond account every pay period. Since an average wage earner works some 2,000 hours each year, simply multiply 2,000 times the hourly stipend or total contribution, and the annual contribution to the bond can be calculated. At the end of the visa period, the migrant is compelled to make a choice: go back to the port of entry, pick up the bond which is now worth thousands of dollars, and leave the US, or go underground. If the migrant does not comply with the visa and pick up the bond within the specified time, the money is forfeited to law enforcement.

Since the migrant does not enjoy the full benefits and legal protection of citizenship, law enforcement would for the first time have access to the IRS records that would lead law enforcement to at least the last reported employment and residence of the migrant so that visa compliance could be obtained.

While this may seem harsh, the social costs of the migration could and should be addressed, visa compliance would certainly increase, the smuggling of humans could be diminished, deserts could be protected, and the necessary return to the migrant's country of origin would significantly enhance economic development and education there. Proposals that do not consider law enforcement components and funding proposals will not meet general public acceptance.

Humane Borders is deeply involved and profoundly engaged with public leaders, activists, and various players in the migration policy discourse. We offer many substantive ways for volunteers to do something about the circumstances that migrants face and many substantive ways to work toward comprehensive immigration reform. As from our founding, we invite all persons of good faith to join us in this work.

Tags: Immigration, Immigration Reform, Border Patrol, Arizona Border

Bush In Tucson: Speech Planned

2005-11-27T19:46:00.000-05:00

Fox News: On Monday, "Bush's trip will include an effort to boost his overall low job approval rating by delivering a speech in Tucson, Ariz., on border security ." Will the president promote his long-standing immigration reform proposals, including a guest worker program, or will he shore up his base and bash immigrants? We'll see.

Migrant Shortage Alarms Growers

2005-11-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

Washington Post: "Shortages have swept the Western agriculture industry, bringing $300 million in losses to raisin growers in California's San Joaquin Valley in September and causing consternation about this winter's harvest from the Christmas tree farms of Oregon to the melon fields of Arizona."

Thanksgiving? Thank Migrants

2005-11-27T19:37:00.000-05:00

North County Times: Members of the Escondido Human Rights Committee and Fallbrook-based Mexicans United in Defense of the People handed out fliers and reminded last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers of what they said are the contributions that migrant workers make to the United States. The action came in response to what group officials said is "the wave of anti-immigrant politics being spread by groups like the Minuteman Project," and the Escondido City Council's recent endorsement of the California Border Police initiative."

Linda Chavez For Guest Workers

2005-11-19T20:42:00.000-05:00

The conservative columnist and former director of the United States Commission on Civil Rights under President Ronald Reagan comes out for guest worker program in the op-ed pages of the New York Times (reg. req.). Money quote: "The best way to intercept the jihadists and criminals, however, would be to give hard-working laborers a realistic opportunity to come here legally - by enacting a more generous legal immigration law with a guest-worker option. Ideally, such a program would allow illegal aliens already here to participate after paying a fine and demonstrating that they have paid taxes and are gainfully employed."

Tag: Immigration

473 Migrants Perish

2005-11-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

Houston Chronicle: "A record 473 migrants died in the last year while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, the most since the U.S. Border Patrol began tracking such deaths in 1999."

More: "Robin Hoover, a Church of Christ minister and president of Humane Borders, a migrant advocacy group in Tucson, estimated 300 migrants died along the Arizona border.

'It's probably even more,' he said."

Bush May Visit Tucson BP

2005-11-19T17:06:00.000-05:00

Arizona Republic: "President Bush is considering a visit with Border Patrol officials in the Tucson Sector when he comes to Phoenix for a fund-raiser on Nov. 28.

"I'm thinking that it's going to come together," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said Thursday. He emphasized that plans are not definite."

American Prospect

2005-11-11T07:27:00.000-05:00

The (left-of-center) American Prospect for November features a cover story on immigration reform. Two essays are especially worth reading, one by Frank Sharry, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, the other by Doris Meissner, the commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service during the Clinton administration.

A Moral Majority

2005-11-11T06:48:00.000-05:00

Some good news: "Despite their belief that undocumented immigrants are an economic drain on the state, most Arizona voters do not want to force them to leave the United States if they are established in communities and have no criminal record, according to a poll commissioned by The Arizona Republic." There's also majority support for, "Creating a federal guest-worker program that would permit foreigners to apply for temporary work visas."

Sellz, Strauss Trial Is Dec. 20

2005-11-11T06:42:00.000-05:00

Support rallies are being held every Wednesday at Southside Presbyterian Church, 317 W. 23rd St., until the trial.

Don't Fence Me In

2005-11-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

Does Duncan Hunter have a friend in the fencing business? Grijalva and Kolbe say no thanks.

UA Bookstore Altar

2005-11-10T06:52:00.000-05:00

The altar on display at the University of Arizona bookstore, honoring illegal immigrants who died while crossing the desert, comes down today. The Tucson Citizen reports, "To culminate the events Nov. 10, the university will feature a mariachi band, folklorico dancers and a reading by popular novelist Luis Alberto Urrea from noon to 6 p.m."

Republic's Immigration Equation

2005-11-07T04:15:00.000-05:00

Here's the link to the paper's complete "special report."

E.J. Montini on Strauss, Seliz

2005-11-04T08:57:00.000-05:00

The Arizona Republic columnist praises No More Deaths volunteers: "Unless the charges against them are dropped, Daniel Strauss and Shanti Seliz, who are in their 20s, could spend up to 15 years in prison for the crime of showing compassion in the face of human suffering.

This is nothing new. There is a long list of individuals who have paid with their freedom and even their lives for the sometimes unforgivable offense of benevolence. All that changes over the generations are the legal technicalities. In this instance, Strauss and Seliz were indicted in August in Tucson's federal courthouse on one count each of conspiracy to transport an undocumented immigrant and transporting an undocumented immigrant.

"What they were doing, in fact, was transporting sick people for medical care on the advice of both a doctor and a lawyer," says Margo Cowan, a lawyer who works with the young people in a volunteer organization called No More Deaths."

Stockton's "Dia" For Migrants

2005-11-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

Stockton, Calif., Record: "Three altars were laid out on this Mexican Day of the Dead, all laden with tamales, marigolds -- the traditional flower of the dead -- and sugar skulls. One altar honored farm workers who had died in the fields, such as Maria Leticia Fonseca, who died last month when she was crushed by a tractor in a Lodi grape field. The other altar held photos and keepsakes of relatives long or recently departed and the third, crosses with names of those who had perished while crossing the border."

Worst Worker Shortage In Memory

2005-11-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

Arizona Republic: "Ed Curry stood in his chile fields on a Saturday morning in October, his crop three weeks behind schedule for harvest. He had a crew of 40 workers in the field to the south, filling bucket after bucket with ripe red chiles. In front of him, Curry had two U.S. Border Patrol agents, young guys, who had tracked footprints onto his farm and came up on five of his workers at the edge of the field. The agents were getting ready to take them away, back to Mexico."