Tracking

There are 2 kinds of migrants these days.  There are those who make the perilous journey through open holes in the border wall, crossing the desert at night braving the elements and every manner of danger. And there are those who legally present themselves to U.S Customs and Border Patrol, requesting to seek asylum.  The thousands we hear about in the news are the latter group, but there are still the intrepid ones who make the journey on their own or with the help of a "coyote".

                                       

I am currently reading a book called "Solito" by Javier Zamora, which is about a 9 year old Salvadoran boy who made the journey unaccompanied by his family.  It is incredibly eye-opening to hear the details of the crossing from the perspective of a child.

I went on a couple of trips this week with Humane Borders, the nonprofit organization that supplies water so migrants crossing won't die of dehydration.  There are what's called "death maps" which show where human remains have been found, and this is how the locations are selected.  Migrants come from as far away as west Africa, India and South America (as well as Mexico and Central America). In the border town of Sasabe, where volunteer agencies have stopped providing services, there has been so much drug cartel violence that many of the local residents have moved away.

I volunteered with Humane Borders last time I was here also, and none of the times I went out did I encounter any migrants.  They are pretty discreet.  They wear camouflage clothes and backpacks.  They often wear fluffy slippers which leave no footprints.  They always travel at night.  This way they stay out of view of "la migra" (Border Patrol). In spite of the risks, and the fact that many make the trip without sufficient food, water, proper clothing and footwear, between 200-1,200 people per day crossed the border near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument last summer.  It was a blistering hot summer, with temperatures reaching over 110 degrees at times. I have only volunteered during the day in the winter, but temperatures drop to below freezing at night. 

I am impressed by the forensic skills of our experienced guide, who can tell by looking at remnants of clothing, plastic jugs and empty cans of food how recently migrants have camped there. The evidence of their presence is found in the washes, where the desert shrubbery is thicker and provides some shelter and cover. Having not seen any migrants at the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, where I went this week, we serviced several stations by checking water barrel levels, testing for mineral content, and for any signs of damage and moved on. We stopped at a small town where another agency had a welcome center.  There are many good Samaritans along the migrant trail.