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Washington Update Desert Deaths Move Public Conscience The grim news came out slowly. Around 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 23, the Border Patrol came across the first seven bodies in the Granite Mountain area of Arizona, near California. Decomposition had already begun. By afternoon, they found four more. One was found alive and taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center but pronounced dead on arrival. By Thursday morning, two more bodies had been found. Some had torn at their clothing in the delirium that typically precedes the call of death in the desert. A dozen more were hospitalized suffering from extreme dehydration and kidney damage, their skin shriveled, burnt brown and riddled with cactus spines. The doctors said they looked like mummies…the survivors, that is. A group of 25-30 Mexican workers had set out across the U.S. border Saturday, heading for Interstate 8, 50 miles away. They made it to within 10 miles before expiring. The temperature reported by the weather service was 115 degrees Fahrenheit but on the desert floor it was closer to 130. Humane Borders, a group that sets up water stations for desperate migrants, had earlier asked the federal Bureau of Land Management for permission to do so in the area where the deaths occurred. It was denied. By week's end, wails of grief arose in the tiny Mexican villages of Chamizal, Atzalan and Coatepec as they learned what had befallen their sons. Of course, in a sense, it is not really news. At least 369 perished this way last year alone. Still, the death toll of 14 was the largest single such incident in more than 20 years and that got attention. Politicians issued the usual statements of shock, shock! Some called for the death penalty for the "smugglers"-guides who led the border crossing-but one was already among the dead and another was hospitalized from the ordeal. The government promised to put more agents on the border. "All eyewash," pronounced Douglas, Ariz., Mayor Ray Borane, a man well-placed to know. But the media have now picked up on the issue in a significant way. Time magazine is doing a multipart series and collaborating with CNN, ABC and America Online to sponsor meetings promoting public discussion and awareness of the issue. In this, there may be hope. As you know, LIRS is already in the process of developing and advocating humane solutions. Visit www.lirs.org to see what we're doing and join our efforts!
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