Thread: 'What I found was grotesque'

'What I found was grotesque'
3 Samaritans who aid migrants tell of desert plights
By Stephanie Innes
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.12.2007
Three volunteers with a local faith-based group that gives water and medical aid to illegal immigrants during their desert treks will share their stories at a public event tonight.
"We're not presenting a politician's story or a journalist's essay. It's a story of the people as we meet them on the desert," said Kathryn Ferguson, a filmmaker, dance instructor and volunteer with the Samaritan Patrol group. "Our stories are about anyone we meet out there — some are more violent than others. Some are quick encounters."
She recalls one young man she met along a road near Arivaca who asked if the nearby town was Florida. When she explained where Florida is, the man began to cry.
Another woman had spent 23 days in the desert, crawling on her knees with a broken ankle, Ferguson said.
As part of the Festival Sin Fronteras, Ferguson, along with fellow volunteers Ted Parks, a local businessman, and Dr. Norma Price, a retired oncologist, will read excerpts of stories they've written about the migrants who illegally cross the border, traveling by foot from Mexico to the United States.
Thousands continue to risk the trip each day. On average, the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector alone apprehends at least 1,000 illegal entrants each day.
And at least 204 have died in Arizona's punishing borderlands since last October, according to Pima County Medical Examiner's Office statistics. Typically, the illegal entrants succumb to heat exhaustion and dehydration.
"I suggest anyone who has an idea on how to solve the problem on the border spend a few days with Samaritans and see what the people are like," Parks said. "Every time you come into contact with people who are crossing, trying to make a better life, all their stories — every one of them affects you, or it does me."
The Samaritan Patrol, which began in 2002, monitors remote areas near the border daily throughout the year, carrying food, water and emergency medical supplies.
Ferguson recalls a recent encounter with a group of seven members of one family from Michoacan, Mexico, including two boys of about 9 and 10 years old. Their 38-year-old father, who had been hoping to find a job in California, was so dehydrated that he was taken by helicopter to St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson for treatment.
The family had been part of a group of 27 crossing the border with a smuggler — coyote — whom they'd paid about $2,000, Ferguson said. But they were too slow, and the group abandoned them.
"They had no idea where they were. They were just amazing people. In three hours in an emergency situation, we really got to know them personally — the boys, where they went to school," she said. "Then they were deported, and we never heard anything else from them."
Price says the children she has encountered are the most memorable. She recalls one little boy giving her the bracelet of saints he was wearing. She has encountered migrants in diabetic comas, migrants who become gravely ill after drinking water from cattle tanks, and others who find it impossible to walk because of severe blisters.
"The thing that we have continually been almost overwhelmed by is the humanity — they are all such kind and good people," Price said. "The migrants are always so grateful and so many of them are so intelligent. They have had menial jobs because of circumstances. They had no other choice."
Ferguson and Parks, both in their 50s, and Price, in her 60s, are writing a collection of stories about their experiences. What they encountered in the desert has widely differed from their expectations.
"I signed up because I kept hearing about all these deaths," Ferguson said. "What I found was grotesque. I saw decent, normal human beings in search of a job going through hell. I don't know how many of the men I've met had their legs amputated from being smashed in a train ride. . . . Everything is surreal, deadly and not nice."
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This is why a fence, and I mean a fence similar to the one in Israel, must be built. It will PREVENT these people from entering the desert in the first place. Just think, it will be worth it if even one life is saved!

As Bush and his administration should be held accountable for the American deaths caused by illegal immigration, Fox, Calderon, and the other South American heads of state should be held responsible for the deaths of their own citizens. They seem to be all involved with the trade deals and spouting off how good these are for our countries. I fail to see that in view of the deaths on both sides.

The whole thing just devalues human life.

BUILD THE FENCE---IT WILL SAVE LIVES

And Mexico needs to make comic books expaining the danger when crossing our border and urge its people to stay home.If anyone is guilty here it is The Mexican Government for AIDING & Encouraging its citizens to make the some times deadly trek to USA !!!!

Yea.. an American life!

And remember ‘GOLD FEVER’ & the different ‘Rushes’? People DIED for their GREED there ..as well! Hey, if ALL it took to be a part of this GREAT Nation, [forget being a Citizen], was to ‘risk your life’, I’m SURE there’d be a NEVER ENDING line, NOT just to cross the desert, [it's NOT the Sahara!] ..but to even serve in the military as some open borders ‘Moon Bats’ have offered!

Originally Posted by camilleinchicago

This is why a fence, and I mean a fence similar to the one in Israel, must be built. It will PREVENT these people from entering the desert in the first place. Just think, it will be worth it if even one life is saved!

*NumbersUSA.com made a VERY informative and enlightening 13 minute video, SOLELY about LEGAL immigration! It's a *MUST SEE* for ALL! [OVER 2.7 MILLION hits, so far.. in google.. ]

What he DIDN’T talk about, and something VERY important to *Remember*.. is that illegal MIGRATION is 3-4 times this toll!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... susa&hl=en

*And out of all this CHAOS, 25 Americans are KILLED EVERYDAY BY illegals! 12 by MURDER, 13 by Manslaughter.. [One of MANY sources] This equals to 9,125 plus.. PREVENTABLE deaths per year, EVERY year!

That’s THREE TIMES the casualties of the Iraq war in ONE THIRD the time.. EVERY year!


OR..


THREE ‘911’ casualties in ONE year, EVERY year!
www.WND.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53103 Remember, these are PREVENTABLE Deaths!

*Just a SMALL compilation of those KILLED! : www.ImmigrationsHumanCost.org

*And this will make you sick! Lots of related links! : www.ImmigrationCounters.com/Photos.html

*..from their home page, a MUST read! : www.ImmigrationCounters.com

*Wow, I HIGHLY recommend ALL to READ what these fine folks have researched!! This ONE link takes you to 25 articles and are a MUST READ!! There is a WEALTH of information here and very well written I might add! When you're finished, start calling, faxing and maybe BANGING on the doors of your Senators & Representatives!!
http://www.FamilySecurityMatters.org/ho ... ?id=656096

Did I forget to tell you about The ‘Dark Side’ of illegal migration? ..
www.USillegalAliens.com

Hope you all have a nice day, the above primarily Americans, never will!
R

I dont want their blood on my hands. Build the fence and I will sleep better at night knowing they cannot cross and endanger themselves.

Whatever happened to buildthefence.com ?

I can only find the hurricane fence plus three strands of barbwire at http://www.borderfenceproject.com/ . Some of that 3.6 miles is chicken wire.

If I had a contract for $1½ million to build a mile of fence, I don't think I would wait over a year to start building my mile. Would you?

700 miles authorized (of 1952 - 2060 miles).
55 miles completed, including 33 miles in impassable desert, according to Glenn Spencer and American Border Patrol.