Posted on 07/30/2004 6:32:12 PM PDT by JackelopeBreeder
No More Deaths, a volunteer coalition composed of advocacy groups whose work is to support illegal immigrants with water and medical aid, recently held a meeting in Bisbee to train volunteers in dealing with both law enforcement and illegal border crossers they refer to as "guests".
The primary speaker for the workshop was Margo Cowan, who has defended undocumented people for 35 years. Cowan was indicted in 1972 by the Nixon Administration on 52 counts of aiding and abetting illegal aliens; the charges were dropped by former President Jimmy Carter. Cowan currently serves as legal counsel to Rep. Raul Grijalva.
Lupe Castillo and Kat Rodriguez of Derechos Humanos were also in attendance to educate the 30 volunteers, many of whom traveled from out of state to attend the training meeting. Derechos Humanos openly states that their goal is to open the borders and abolish the Border Patrol.
The stated purpose of No More Deaths (No Mas Muertes) is to provide humanitarian aid for undocumented migrants; to prevent their deaths in the desert, and to do so in a non-violent way, while not cooperating with Border Patrol. As one participant said, "It's not my job to call Border Patrol-why should I interfere with their destiny?"
No More Deaths members, in cooperation with church groups, provide food and water for immigrants being detained by Border Patrol, and also in the "field" working out of mobile RV aid stations set up in Arivaca and Douglas, Arizona.
Cowan stated that for every immigrant death reported by authorities, there are 10 more that go unreported. There are no statistical facts from U.S. local, state or federal data or Mexican consulates to verify whether the statement is true. Cowan and others at the meeting routinely referred to illegal aliens as "our children." Cowan said it is important to set up aid stations in Cochise County because the Tucson Border Patrol sector is now focusing attention on the most active crossing points. Because Border Patrol estimates 5 (illegal aliens) come through for every one caught, Cowan is concerned for the safety of the 5 million "friends," as she refers to illegal immigrants, who have illegally entered the United States.
She said the rate of recidivism (those who've crossed, been caught, and re-crossed) is so low as to be described as "statistically insignificant" by the Border Patrol. And, although the Border Patrol claims that they have caught more felons, Cowan stated that is just a label that can be applied to undocumented aliens depending upon how many times they've been apprehended while crossing the border. Since October 1, 2003, the start of their fiscal year, Border Patrol reports that as of July 15, agents have apprehended 8,283 convicted felons attempting to cross back into the United States after being deported. If Border Patrol is catching only one in five, that means that up to 20,000 convicted criminals could have entered the country in that same period.
Cowan boasted that with 2 to 3 million "guests" coming through every year, the U.S. Attorney can't prosecute every one, so they decide to go after the coyotes. As a result of rapes, robberies and other abuses at the hands of smugglers, groups of undocumented migrants are less likely to rely on coyotes to guide them across the border. Often a group of "guests" will appoint a person (who has crossed and been caught) to be their leader, and each person will give him $50 or so for taking the responsibility as the guide if the group is caught.
Cowan told the group of new volunteers that they cannot aid or abet aliens in furtherance of their illegal status in the U.S. How they get away with bending but not breaking the law, is under much scrutiny by Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies who are beginning to keep an eye on the groups who provide aid to illegal aliens. Cowan says ignorance is the key. "All you have to do, the most important thing is, to not ask if they are illegal or where they are from!" Cowan says if they are in the United States, then if volunteers don't ask, they can assume they are helping citizens. Many of their aid stations are only a few hundred feet from the border fence. The same is true of water stations set up on BLM land by the Tucson based Humane Borders group.
No More Deaths volunteers, can, and will transport possible illegal aliens to receive medical help. Cowan's strategy, "You can ask them questions to see how they are feeling, and observe their condition. There is a list of approved doctors and nurses that a volunteer can call to get an OK to take the migrant, for a medical evaluation." Cowan said as long as you have permission from one of the doctors or registered nurses in the "friends network" then you can legally transport them. The group claims to have a list of such doctors that volunteers can call to get permission to transport the "guests".
A volunteer suggested putting magnetized Samaritan signs with a red cross on the cars when approaching undocumented migrants or when transporting them, so that everyone will know their mission is a medically necessary or humanitarian effort. Another volunteer said that doctors he had worked with in the organization had said that if a person is crossing the desert in the summer, regardless of whether or not they look sick, they all need medical help. If anyone in the "friends network" were stopped by Border Patrol, while transporting aliens in their cars, volunteers were instructed to identify themselves as being with No More Deaths, since there is "an umbrella of political protection" associated with the group. And they should also say that they were taking the aliens for a medical evaluation in Tucson at St. Mary's Hospital or for respite at South Side Presbyterian Church (home of Humane Borders).
According to Cowan, "we are transparent," so there is no attempt to conceal undocumented migrants by making them lie down in the back seat or hide in the trunk. Someone asked, "Is it legal to take them home with you, like if you need to pick up the list of doctors and nurses you need to take them to?" Cowan said, "Yes, but you must take them there," (to medical help).
"If you meet a group and some are in distress, and others are not, you cannot transport those who are OK," Cowan answered. "We encourage people who want to (transport those who are OK) to do that, on their own, but we don't want to get in trouble, so we don't do that as a group, under the name No More Deaths," Cowan warned the volunteers.
Another question that arose was if a "friend" doctor recommended a 48-hour respite, could the volunteer take the aliens home, let them take a shower, and then let them use the phone at the end of that period of time? Cowan said that although a church designated as a respite center was preferable, it was all right to do this, but if the alien calls out on your home phone, you want to make sure your ID is blocked, as you do not want coyotes knowing your number.
Kat Rodriguez asked, "How do they get from your home to the bus, or other transportation (if you are not allowed to transport them)?" Others also wanted to know if it was legal to give them some money for their trip.
Cowan responded: "Almost everyone coming over has family here who will come and pick them up. Public transportation is just too dangerous." Other volunteers were still puzzled and asked further about how to aid aliens in resuming their journey after a medically recommended respite. Then Cowan added, "This is just what No More Deaths recommends legally; other friends do other pieces." No More Deaths official policy is "We can't do this piece-other people do this piece, just in case there are some government spies here. It's important for us to do everything to keep the criminal enterprise part away from our humanitarian efforts," Cowan explained. The volunteers smiled and laughed.
Later Cowan added that most volunteers in the group might know someone who would "do the other piece" but there is no organized group to perform transportation functions for the "guests". Cowan warned the volunteers that if they are detained for any reason by law enforcement while transporting an alien, the case must be turned over to the state's attorney, whose decision it will be either to dismiss it or to prosecute.
The group debated if it was legal to give "guests" a map, so that they knew where they were and how to get to where they were going.
Cowan said that it was a legal gray area; and "we are concerned that people may misinterpret them (the maps) and they won't be helpful."
Others in the group shared stories about Border Patrol agents who did not want them to give water or food to alien detainees in the field, and they were assured that it is perfectly legal to give them the "Know Your Rights" card, and to share food and water with them. Cowan said those agents who are resistant to No More Deaths volunteers' help are: "young agents, scared to death, based on lack of knowledge, substantively and culturally, of whom they are dealing with."
Kat Rodriguez said, "God forbid you feed a felon."
The group discussed the necessity of getting a written commitment from local law enforcement (cities, county sheriffs) to not enforce immigration law, since only the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to inquire into a person's legal status in this country.
As far as the Border Patrol is concerned, they have no authority over you while you are on private property, and that includes churches that may be used for respites.
One of the speakers claimed that there were no kitchens in the detention facilities, and sometimes people there said they had not been fed for 48 hours. She wanted to know if the group cared to organize an effort to bring a mobile kitchen to the incarceration facility to feed the "guests".
Toward the end of the meeting, Lupe Castillo, a volunteer coordinator added, "Let's not get so wrapped up in humanitarian aid that we forget our principle effort is in changing border and immigration policy."
A very real conundrum we all face is how we deal with this issue on both micro and macro levels....and those levels in between.
Like you, I would never allow an individual to die in the desert. On the other hand, I'd like to see the border sealed from Matamoras to San Diego, with just the International Ports of Entry left open.
In between, I have a friend living on a smuggling trail who lives in fear due to the hundreds of illegals parading through her front and back yard at all hours of the night.
I'm not going to aid and abet but I will not let a fellow human being die when I can prevent it. I do call the Border Patrol when I come across one .
IMHO, this is the right way to handle our problem.
Out of curiousity...do you live here with us? Or are you on a different stretch of the border?
This Cowan clown is playing with fire. Pretending that he doesn't know what's going on when he's well aware that he's aiding illegal aliens isn't going to cut it when he has his butt hauled before a judge
Exactly --- I'll be the first one to admit that all illegals are not exactly the same, some are more benign than others, some are extremely dangerous. And it's easy to pity --- but pity is a bad emotion because it doesn't always lead to the most effective approach. At some point all this non-stop massive immigration cannot just keep going on --- the saturation point has already been reached --- and at that point they need to stop leaving and start fixing up their own country. Fixing up Mexico would be the most beneficial for the most people --- and it's not getting fixed with all it's citizens packing up and flooding over the border.
She's long overdue...
"The primary speaker for the workshop was Margo Cowan, who has defended undocumented people for 35 years. Cowan was indicted in 1972 by the Nixon Administration on 52 counts of aiding and abetting illegal aliens; the charges were dropped by former President Jimmy Carter. Cowan currently serves as legal counsel to Rep. Raul Grijalva."
My tagline is a personal gift from Don Raul de Aztlan himself. I believe he's still vice president of my fan club.
"Praise Allah and pass the guacamole."
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Somehow it should be easy enough to lojack their vehihicles or even better, set up a sting to LOOK LIKE these law breakers.
BTW someone should report this lawyer to the bar. You can't be a licensed lawyer and law breaker, they get picky about that.
Sorry, guys; too much exposure to this white-washed traitor activity makes me light-headed.
We were the world's remaining superpower until Bill Clinton and the free traders helped China get up to speed. China and every other country I know of (outside of Islam-contaminated Europe) has a shoot-first policy regarding invaders. America is a laughing stock because it refuses to safeguard it's own sovereignty. Even worse, the international community has come to regard us as Mexico's personal prison-bitch for reasons we citizens remain unprivy to. Our better diplomats are expected to go out and promote freedom and democracy while the government they represent has pissed those principles away for the sake of short-term profit pirates.
NOW the butcher has come for the bill while those responsible have left us all alone on the stoop to meet him. It's not enough that we tolerate lowered wages, higher taxation and cultural contamination. Now we can expect the senseless hatred of terrorism to further degrade our existance so the gated ones can eak out that last nickel of lucre. With them there's never enough. When did they get the reigns of our national policy?
Yeah, I'm wrapped a little too tight. Regarding the wonders of God's creation does give me hope that the worst mankind can do will never amount to squat in His scheme of things. Thanks.
How very nice and Christian of you!
Damn you to the hell you deserve!
Would you care to explain to my daughter why people who "hable espanol" means an unsafe area?
Care to tell my child why it is vital that she learns Spanish, instead of the language of her natural ancestors?
Care to tell me why I have to put up and pay for the rejected citizens of a foreign country, instead of carefully monitoring a real revolution on our border?
How very Christian of you, to make it my problem, and not yours.
I'm always wrapped too tight anymore.
A bunch of us down here are trying our best to arrange felony charges against this bunch. I would love to see them bulldozed by the full weight of Title 8, US Code. Some people just naturally look better wearing orange.
"Austin City No-Limits is brought to you by NAFTA: The Third World is just outside your door. And the Ford Foundation: Betraying your ancestors' legacy and sacrifices since 1964."
I live in New Mexico and our farms are often a highway for illegals.
Would you care to explain your extreme anger and hatred? You sound rabid. Have you had your shots or do I need to go in for treatments. You sound like a Dimocrat. If you have a solution then propose one. I don't and neither does our government. The military has been tried, contrary to what you hear. Until Mexico is as prosperous as the US they will come.
Bump.
In what way? You are the first the say anything of the sort. Did they use a platoon and then say "It's not working." and then pull them off?
I want this stopped and people like you are abetting criminals whose unintended goal (for the most part, although I know that for some it is their intended goal) is the destruction of the U.S.
And, I agee with Sarasmom that I don't like the hispanic culture in any way. It's a culture of mostly scum.
Also, I would not help them in any way.
"You sound like a Dimocrat. If you have a solution then propose one. I don't and neither does our government. The military has been tried, contrary to what you hear. Until Mexico is as prosperous as the US they will come."
actually you are the one talking like a demoncrat. We give up, we cannot do it. Ohh, it is so unfair that they have less than us. Until we make as little as they do and have no more jobs then all will be fair and right and then they will stop coming.
That's what ranchers here are experiencing...but the word of that is only reaching our Representatives very slowly. and the national press even more slowly.
This has taken upwards of five years in our case with Congressman Kolbe, R-AZ.
Also, I would not help them in any way.
Those are very vitriolic statements to make and I'm wondering if you are really as cold hearted as that. There are quite a few Hispanic FReepers who would take exception to your comments. My new daughter-in-law and her military veteran Hispanic (from Spain) father and grandfather would likely kick your butt for making those comments.
There are some hispanics, like the bozo who ran a red light and totalled my son's car, for whom I wouldn't give you a plug nickle. But this is the kind of thing you experience on an individual basis...you don't apply your dislike of individuals to an entire ethnicity, and you don't disparage FReepers who face these life and death situations on a regular basis. That's not what we're about.
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