In Arizona It is Illegal To Leave Water In The Desert For Immigrants Who May Die Of Dehydration

In Arizona,  there have been countless deaths of immigrants crossing from Mexico into the United States, yet it is currently illegal for people to leave water in the desert for those who get lost in the desert.

NDN has written about the perils of crossing the border before, Deaths of Immigrants Crossing Sonoran Desert on the Rise, however to provide some context about just how hot the desert gets, check out the following photos of the remains of immigrants who have died crossing the desert.

DISCLAIMER: these photos are gruesome and not for the faint of heart, having said that they can be seen at the Arizona Daily Star HERE.

Marc Lacy of the New York Times has the full story on why Arizona, has made it illegal to leave water for immigrants crossing the desert here, quotes are below:

Two years ago, Daniel J. Millis was ticketed for littering after he was caught by a federal Fish and Wildlife officer placing gallon jugs of water for passing immigrants in the brush of this 118,000-acre preserve.

“I do extreme sports, and I know I couldn’t walk as far as they do,” said Mr. Millis, driving through the refuge recently. “It’s no surprise people are dying.”

What is surprising is that in Arizona, it is a federal crime to leave water for immigrants in the desert:

Mr. Millis, 31, was not the only one to get a ticket. Fourteen other volunteers for Tucson-based organizations that provide aid to immigrants crossing from Mexico to the United States were similarly cited. Most of the cases were later dropped, but Mr. Millis and another volunteer for a religious group called No More Deaths were convicted of defacing the refuge with their water jug drops.

All of this despite a bevy of obstacles immigrants face:

From 2002 to 2009, 25 illegal immigrants died while passing through the refuge’s rolling hills, which are flanked by mountains and are home to pronghorns, coyotes, rattlesnakes and four different kinds of skunks. Throughout southern Arizona, the death toll totaled 1,715 from 2002 to 2009, with this year’s hot temperatures putting deaths at a record-breaking pace.

Anti Immigrant activists contend that leaving the water jugs destroys the environment and encourages immigrants to cross. Despite opposition from Arizona law enforcement officials, people continue to leave water for immigrants  in the desert:

Mr. Millis, a former high school Spanish teacher who now works for the Sierra Club, disputes the notion that leaving out water jugs is luring more immigrants. He said it was border enforcement efforts that had pushed those seeking to cross into dangerous desert areas.

As for spoiling the environment, he said he collected as many jugs as he left behind. He also recounts how he found the dead body of a 14-year-old Salvadoran girl near the refuge days before he was ticketed.

“People are part of the environment,” he said.