’Shameful’ Raid on #NoMoreDeaths Aid Camp at US-Mexico Border Puts Lives at Risk Tom Dart - The Guardian
go to original June 16, 2017

Border Patrol officers arresting migrants at the camp. No More Deaths described the raid as ‘a very troubling development’ (No More Deaths)

Border Patrol officers have raided a humanitarian aid camp set up to give shelter and water to migrants crossing the scorching Arizona desert, in an operation that activists said puts lives at risk.

Four migrants were arrested during Thursday’s raid on a medical aid station run by the No More Deaths group near the small settlement of Arivaca, about 15 miles from the border and 60 miles south of Tucson.

The operation came as weather in the region heats up even more than normal, with temperatures predicted to rise as high as 114F (46C) in the coming days.

No More Deaths blamed the hardline immigration stance adopted by the Trump administration for the raid, which it said broke a longstanding agreement that border agents would respect the camp as a medical facility under international Red Cross standards and not interfere with its work.

“People crossing the deadly and remote regions of the US-Mexico border often avoid seeking urgent medical care for fear of deportation and incarceration. For this reason, a humanitarian-focused aid station in the desert is an essential tool for preserving life. The targeting of this critical medical aid is a shameful reflection of the current administration’s disregard for the lives of migrants and refugees, making an already dangerous journey even more deadly,” the group said in a statement.

Around 30 agents in 15 vehicles and a helicopter participated in the raid, said Julia Milan, a volunteer with No More Deaths. “It turns a humanitarian aid station into a trap … Our camp is 100% compromised right now,” she said.

Read the rest at The Guardian

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