U.S. BORDER PATROL SYSTEMATICALLY DESTROYED WATER SUPPLIES LEFT FOR MIGRANTS IN DESERT, REPORT SAYS
U.S. BORDER PATROL SYSTEMATICALLY DESTROYED WATER SUPPLIES LEFT FOR MIGRANTS IN DESERT, REPORT SAYS
Ryan Devereaux
January 17 2018, 3:58 p.m.
A NEW REPORT says that humanitarian groups working along the U.S. border with Mexico have documented the systematic destruction of thousands of jugs of water left for migrants trekking north through the desert — and that U.S. Border Patrol agents are to blame.
Published Wednesday by the Tucson-based groups No More Deaths and La Coalición de Derechos Humanos, the report claims that from 2012 to 2015, volunteers “found water gallons vandalized a total of 415 times during our study period, or more than twice a week on average.”
“In all, 3,586 gallons of water were vandalized during this time period,” the report said. “These actions condemn border crossers to suffering, death, and disappearance.” Kate Morgan-Olsen, abuse documentation and advocacy coordinator for No More Deaths, said that while the analysis only covered up to 2015, footage exists from 2017 of Border Patrol agents destroying and confiscating humanitarian aid supplies.
While No More Deaths and La Coalición de Derechos Humanos note that other actors populate some of the areas where migrants are known to cross — including hunters and anti-immigrant militiamen — the groups argue that their three-year analysis of mapping data, land jurisdictions, and hunting seasons supports the conclusion that the bulk of the damage recorded was done by border agents.
More:
https://theintercept.com/2018/01/17/u-s-border-patrol-systematically-destroyed-water-supplies-left-for-migrants-in-desert-report-says/
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