Surge of volunteers to help illegals cross
Surge of volunteers expected to help illegal immigrants cross desert
May 21, 2006 09:30 AM EDT Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version
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A surge in the number of volunteers fanning out across Arizona's southern deserts to aid illegal immigrants is expected this summer.
The increase comes despite the ongoing prosecution of two volunteers arrested last summer on federal charges they intentionally conspired to transport illegal entrants, leaders of illegal immigrant aid groups said.
Shanti A. Sellz and Daniel M. Strauss, both 24, were arrested as they drove illegal entrants to a clinic on July 9 and face trial in October.
Leaders of two faith-based groups, No More Deaths and Samaritan Patrol, say they've signed up hundreds of volunteers to deliver food, water and medical aid to migrants illegally walking into the country from Mexico. No More Deaths alone has 500 registered volunteers, up from 300 last summer.
A third group, Humane Borders, puts water tanks in areas frequented by illegal migrants.
The groups are trying to reach an agreement with the U.S. Border Patrol spelling out legal ways they can provide humanitarian aid to illegal migrants.
The biggest issue is what to do when volunteers come across migrants they believe need immediate medical attention, the same situation that Sellz and Strauss contend led to their arrests.
No More Deaths legal adviser Margo Cowan said she's presented a draft agreement to the U.S. Border Patrol spelling out how to deal with similar situations.
But Michael Nicley, chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, says he hasn't signed it. He said he is trying to maintain good relations with the aid groups but it is never right to transport illegal entrants, even if they're gravely ill. He said anyone who comes across an ill migrant should call the Border Patrol.
"If someone has a heart attack, then they need to summon emergency medical care," he said. "The smart way is not to load them in a vehicle and drive them to Tucson."
Cowan said her group is looking forward to "a good working collaboration with the Border Patrol this summer," and Border Patrol agents will attend No More Deaths training sessions.
"We're going to do everything we can to work with the U.S. to save lives. We're not picking fights," Cowan said.
Since Oct. 1, federal records show 73 migrants have died in the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, which runs from the New Mexico line to the western edge of Pima County, most caused by heat exhaustion and dehydration.
A total of 216 deaths, including women and children, were recorded in the Tucson Sector from Oct. 1, 2004 through Sept. 30, 2005.
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4930696
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520.325.1001
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740 E. Speedway Blvd.
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Just Coffee
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(866) 545-6406
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www.jornadasinfronteras.com
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movement to stop attacks on all immigrants
www.laresistencia.org
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www.nologo.org
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2131 South 4th Ave
Tucson, AZ 85713
(520) 979-2213
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Environmental and Economic Justice
www.sneej.org
Samaritans
www.samaritanpatrol.org
317 West 23rd Street
Tucson, AZ 85713
(520) 620-0725
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www.southsidepresbyterian.org/
317 West 23rd Street
Tucson, AZ 85713
(520) 623-6857
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