Sophie Murguia, deputy managing editor at Mother Jones, here. Each year, hundreds of thousands of migrants cross the remote section of the Sonoran Desert that covers southern Arizona, hoping to make it safely into the United States. But it's a treacherous journey—the world’s deadliest land migration route, according to the UN—and if you're a migrant who finds yourself stranded in the mountains, you have few good options. That’s what happened to Martín, a Guatemalan father of three whom writer Sarah Tory interviewed earlier this year. He was deep in the Arizona desert when he began suffering from chest pain and couldn’t keep walking, so he called 911—11 times over three days. But neither the local sheriff’s department nor the Border Patrol’s search and rescue agents ever came for him. Instead, it was only after Martín spent two nights out in the cold, risking hypothermia and dehydration, that volunteers from a local aid group took it upon themselves to save him, while a Border Patrol agent sat nearby in his truck, under orders to stay put.
Martín’s predicament reflects a larger issue with search and rescue at the southwest border, Sarah writes in a terrific feature out today. County officials are legally responsible for emergency services in their territory, but they often refer calls from migrants to the Border Patrol. The Border Patrol, though, is mainly a law enforcement agency—and that mission can conflict with its search and rescue goals. As a result, as one volunteer told Sarah, “Unless you have family who’s advocating for you and is really good at calling a million people, you’re kind of screwed.” You can find more of Sarah’s reporting—and read Martín’s infuriating story—here. —Sophie Murguia |
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After the confirmed death of Yahya Sinwar, the chances for the end of regional war in the Middle East still seem slim. |
BY NOAH LANARD AND SOPHIE HURWITZ |
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BY FRIDA GARZA AND AYURELLA HORN-MULLER |
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Saving lives often takes a back seat to immigration enforcement. |
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