SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Laurel Grindy and Paul Nixon, both volunteers with Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans, a group that offers humanitarian aid to migrants in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands shared by the U.S. and Mexico, speak to a Border Patrol agent who was manning surveillance equipment near Nogales on July 14, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Woolfolk for AFP/via Getty Images)
'Complete Disregard for Human Life': US Agents Threaten Christmas Eve Raid Against Humanitarians Giving Aid to Refugees Near Border
One volunteer noted the cruel irony of such actions "on the eve of a holiday meant to celebrate hospitality towards travelers from distant lands."
Dec 23, 2020
A humanitarian group that provides medical care, food, and safety to migrants and refugees along the U.S.-Mexico border sounded the alarm Thursday that federal agents are threatening to raid their operation despite the Christmas holiday and dangerously cold overnight temperatures that could make their services more needed than usual.
"These raids are violent acts designed to make migrants avoid seeking humanitarian aid, increasing the chances people will die or disappear in the desert."
--No More Deaths
No More Deaths volunteer Montana Thames drew attention to what she characterized as the cruel irony of the planned raid, which is expected to fall "on the eve of a holiday meant to celebrate hospitality towards travelers from distant lands."
According to No More Deaths, which on Thursday released a statement about U.S. Custom and Border Protection officials' pursuit of a warrant to ransack their camp, "This would be the third raid in five months, during a year where we've witnessed the highest number of recovered human remains found in Arizona."
\u201c\ud83d\udce3URGENT CALL TO ACTION \ud83d\udce3 Call Tucson Sector Border Patrol and tell them: No Warrant, No Raid: (520) 748-3000.\u201d— No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes (@No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes) 1608821779
"Border Patrol's continual harassment of Byrd Camp prevents patients from receiving essential care," the group said. "In July and October, Border Patrol conducted nighttime raids of Byrd Camp, descending on the camp with armored tanks, ATVs, a helicopter, and many marked and unmarked vehicles and arresting over 50 people."
By deliberately driving "migrants in need of lifesaving care away from the humanitarian aid station, making the desert even more deadly... Border Patrol's policies are directly responsible for the crisis, death, and disappearance of people in the borderlands," the group added.
\u201cWe know that these raids are violent acts designed to make migrants avoid seeking humanitarian aid, increasing the chances people will die or disappear in the desert. \n\nBorder Patrol\u2019s actions continue to show a complete disregard for human life.\u201d— No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes (@No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes) 1608821779
The consequences of criminalizing migration and humanitarian aid are deadly, No More Deaths explained. Since 2001, the remains of 3,365 deceased migrants have been recovered in the Arizona desert, according to the Pima County medical examiner. With 225 bodies having been recovered so far this year, up from 144 last year, 2020 is the deadliest year on record in the region.
Regarding the U.S. agents' planned Christmas Eve raid, Thames noted that "these actions are simply a continuation of the violent practices Border Patrol uses to terrorize those crossing the desert daily."
"No amount of reform," Thames said, "can change an agency that continuously targets people seeking humanitarian aid with violent military-style force," adding that funding ought to be diverted away from border militarization and put toward humane ends.
On January 20th, it begins...
Political revenge. Mass deportations. Project 2025. Unfathomable corruption. Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Pardons for insurrectionists. An all-out assault on democracy. Republicans in Congress are scrambling to give Trump broad new powers to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit he doesn’t like by declaring it a “terrorist-supporting organization.” Trump has already begun filing lawsuits against news outlets that criticize him. At Common Dreams, we won’t back down, but we must get ready for whatever Trump and his thugs throw at us. Our Year-End campaign is our most important fundraiser of the year. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. By donating today, please help us fight the dangers of a second Trump presidency. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
arizonacustoms and border protection (cbp)human rightsimmigrationmexicous department of homeland security
A humanitarian group that provides medical care, food, and safety to migrants and refugees along the U.S.-Mexico border sounded the alarm Thursday that federal agents are threatening to raid their operation despite the Christmas holiday and dangerously cold overnight temperatures that could make their services more needed than usual.
"These raids are violent acts designed to make migrants avoid seeking humanitarian aid, increasing the chances people will die or disappear in the desert."
--No More Deaths
No More Deaths volunteer Montana Thames drew attention to what she characterized as the cruel irony of the planned raid, which is expected to fall "on the eve of a holiday meant to celebrate hospitality towards travelers from distant lands."
According to No More Deaths, which on Thursday released a statement about U.S. Custom and Border Protection officials' pursuit of a warrant to ransack their camp, "This would be the third raid in five months, during a year where we've witnessed the highest number of recovered human remains found in Arizona."
\u201c\ud83d\udce3URGENT CALL TO ACTION \ud83d\udce3 Call Tucson Sector Border Patrol and tell them: No Warrant, No Raid: (520) 748-3000.\u201d— No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes (@No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes) 1608821779
"Border Patrol's continual harassment of Byrd Camp prevents patients from receiving essential care," the group said. "In July and October, Border Patrol conducted nighttime raids of Byrd Camp, descending on the camp with armored tanks, ATVs, a helicopter, and many marked and unmarked vehicles and arresting over 50 people."
By deliberately driving "migrants in need of lifesaving care away from the humanitarian aid station, making the desert even more deadly... Border Patrol's policies are directly responsible for the crisis, death, and disappearance of people in the borderlands," the group added.
\u201cWe know that these raids are violent acts designed to make migrants avoid seeking humanitarian aid, increasing the chances people will die or disappear in the desert. \n\nBorder Patrol\u2019s actions continue to show a complete disregard for human life.\u201d— No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes (@No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes) 1608821779
The consequences of criminalizing migration and humanitarian aid are deadly, No More Deaths explained. Since 2001, the remains of 3,365 deceased migrants have been recovered in the Arizona desert, according to the Pima County medical examiner. With 225 bodies having been recovered so far this year, up from 144 last year, 2020 is the deadliest year on record in the region.
Regarding the U.S. agents' planned Christmas Eve raid, Thames noted that "these actions are simply a continuation of the violent practices Border Patrol uses to terrorize those crossing the desert daily."
"No amount of reform," Thames said, "can change an agency that continuously targets people seeking humanitarian aid with violent military-style force," adding that funding ought to be diverted away from border militarization and put toward humane ends.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
A humanitarian group that provides medical care, food, and safety to migrants and refugees along the U.S.-Mexico border sounded the alarm Thursday that federal agents are threatening to raid their operation despite the Christmas holiday and dangerously cold overnight temperatures that could make their services more needed than usual.
"These raids are violent acts designed to make migrants avoid seeking humanitarian aid, increasing the chances people will die or disappear in the desert."
--No More Deaths
No More Deaths volunteer Montana Thames drew attention to what she characterized as the cruel irony of the planned raid, which is expected to fall "on the eve of a holiday meant to celebrate hospitality towards travelers from distant lands."
According to No More Deaths, which on Thursday released a statement about U.S. Custom and Border Protection officials' pursuit of a warrant to ransack their camp, "This would be the third raid in five months, during a year where we've witnessed the highest number of recovered human remains found in Arizona."
\u201c\ud83d\udce3URGENT CALL TO ACTION \ud83d\udce3 Call Tucson Sector Border Patrol and tell them: No Warrant, No Raid: (520) 748-3000.\u201d— No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes (@No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes) 1608821779
"Border Patrol's continual harassment of Byrd Camp prevents patients from receiving essential care," the group said. "In July and October, Border Patrol conducted nighttime raids of Byrd Camp, descending on the camp with armored tanks, ATVs, a helicopter, and many marked and unmarked vehicles and arresting over 50 people."
By deliberately driving "migrants in need of lifesaving care away from the humanitarian aid station, making the desert even more deadly... Border Patrol's policies are directly responsible for the crisis, death, and disappearance of people in the borderlands," the group added.
\u201cWe know that these raids are violent acts designed to make migrants avoid seeking humanitarian aid, increasing the chances people will die or disappear in the desert. \n\nBorder Patrol\u2019s actions continue to show a complete disregard for human life.\u201d— No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes (@No More Deaths | No M\u00e1s Muertes) 1608821779
The consequences of criminalizing migration and humanitarian aid are deadly, No More Deaths explained. Since 2001, the remains of 3,365 deceased migrants have been recovered in the Arizona desert, according to the Pima County medical examiner. With 225 bodies having been recovered so far this year, up from 144 last year, 2020 is the deadliest year on record in the region.
Regarding the U.S. agents' planned Christmas Eve raid, Thames noted that "these actions are simply a continuation of the violent practices Border Patrol uses to terrorize those crossing the desert daily."
"No amount of reform," Thames said, "can change an agency that continuously targets people seeking humanitarian aid with violent military-style force," adding that funding ought to be diverted away from border militarization and put toward humane ends.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.