General Info
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Winter 2008 Update |
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Wednesday, 10 December 2008 12:55 |
Dear No More Deaths Supporter,
From the desert to D.C., this year’s humanitarian efforts went far beyond anything we have done in the past. Thanks to your support, we did more first aid, put out more water, mapped more trails, trained more volunteers, documented more abuses and even sent a delegation to meet with lawmakers in Washington, D.C.; all surpassing previous years’ efforts. With your support, we have been able to build our capacity both in the desert and along the border to carry out our mission: End death and suffering on the US/Mexico border.
While we continue our important work in the desert and along the border, we are also devoting energy to outreach and advocacy. We are working hard to bring the story of the desert to the policy makers who need to hear it most. In September, we finalized our human rights abuse report, Crossing the Line. Seven volunteers traveled to Capitol Hill to deliver the report to key congressional offices and human rights groups. The delegation was well received and we were told that we were the first group to bring these specific concerns to lawmakers.
As you are reading this letter, copies of the report are being delivered to Obama’s transition team and to the Mexican Embassy. We are now working with congressional leaders to call for an investigation into the treatment of people in Border Patrol custody. We are teaming up with other human rights groups to propose a set of enforceable standards that will apply to the Department of Homeland Security. We demand that the abuses and human rights violations come to an end!
Although our argument is already strong and convincing, we are making it stronger. From November 15th to 23rd, we have a goal of collecting 5,000 abuse testimonies from migrants returned to Mexico by the Border Patrol at our aid stations in Nogales, Naco and Agua Prieta. In a front-page article in the Arizona Daily Star, “Abuse Tales Hard to Dispel,” the chief of the Border Patrol for the Tucson Sector said our report was “unfair” and based on “unfounded allegations.” With more testimonies, we will make the case that these are not unfounded allegations and that many who are apprehended and processed by the Border Patrol are sytematically treated as less than human.
Looking back on our experience in the desert this summer, we can say that our humanitarian efforts have saved lives. We’ve received reports that migrants found our jugs of water along the trails just when they needed them most. By continuing to invest in our mapping and GPS skills, we targeted critical spots for water and food. In some places, hundreds of gallons per week were taken.
As enforcement by Homeland Security pushed people into more remote areas, we drove further into the desert, down rugged roads to get life-saving supplies onto migrant trails and routes. When we found individuals in distress, volunteers certified as Emergency Medical Technicians and Wilderness First Responders were quick to call for helicopters or arrange for ambulances to meet us. The medical training allowed us to become better advocates to ensure people received the care they needed. We encountered many individuals experiencing dehydration, heat exhaustion and even kidney failure, not to mention the blisters, cuts, bruises and sprains.
The United State’s border policy is currently designed to make the crossing as difficult and brutal as possible. We know the physical toll that the desert takes on individuals. We’ve documented the abusive treatment people receive while in custody. “Border Security” has become the latest booming industry. Homeland Security is furiously spending money on walls, cameras, personnel, weapons, vehicles and checkpoints. The result has been clear: over 5,000 people have died crossing the border in the past fifteen years; and those are just the deaths we know about.
We’ve met young children, grandparents, anxious mothers and hopeful fathers whose only “crime” is their desire for a better life. With your support, we will continue our mission to provide humanitarian aid to our brothers and sisters who, because of economic conditions in their own countries, choose to seek a more promising life elsewhere.
No More Deaths will continue to stand strong against the violent and lethal border policies. We will continue to speak out and call upon our elected leaders for immediate change. We will continue inviting people of faith and conscience to work with us here in the Sonoran Desert.
When we began our work in 2004, our resources and knowledge were very limited. Who could have forseen that five years later this emerging humanitarian aid project would bring in hundreds of volunteers from around the country and the world to place ten thousand gallon jugs of water in a desert where daytime highs easily break 100 degrees? With your help, we will continue our humanitarian efforts until there are no more deaths.
Please take a moment to fill out the enclosed remittance slip with your updated information and send us your donation to enable us to continue our work. We are always grateful for and humbled by your contributions! [See the Donations page for info]
Sincerely,
The Many Volunteers of No More Deaths / No Más Muertes
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Cialis AU
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