Arizona activists cited for leaving water for illegals

Activists say they are merely leaving drinking water as an act of mercy.

Illegal immigrants crossing the Mexican border through the Arizona desert are dying, activists say, citing dozens of deaths since Oct. 1 in the four Arizona border counties.

Federal officials say the activists are littering the landscape of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, 38 miles south of Tucson, Ariz., and issued at least 14 citations to the volunteers. The hearing is scheduled for April.

Last summer, 13 volunteers from three groups — No More Deaths, Tucson Samaritans and Humane Borders — decided to protest a prior littering citation by traveling to the refuge and leaving plastic water bottles for immigrants. Refuge officials ticketed the volunteers for littering.

“Those guys weren’t putting out water; they were protesting,” said refuge manager Michael Hawkes. “They didn’t get a permit, and what they did was illegal.”

Current refuge policy states that water jugs cannot be simply left in the refuge, because the act constitutes littering. But the Rev. Jerry Zawada, one of the 13 and a Franciscan, said volunteers also pick up trash as they leave the water jugs.

“We are careful of the environment, and we pick up debris, but when it comes to human survival, we consider that a priority,” he said. “There are some officials who show some compassion, but we do blame the policy, and there are more deaths now because of all the barriers, the cold and the harsh terrain.”

The volunteers will be tried April 6.

Mr. Zawada said they are declaring themselves “not guilty.”

“One of the things that’s affecting us and encouraging us is the increase of deaths that have been reported,” he said.

No More Deaths says there have been 61 deaths in the four-county area that includes the refuge since Oct. 1. They list 213 occurring from Oct. 13, 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009.

However, No More Deaths does not have statistics for just the refuge, and the refuge’s manager says only two deaths occurred within park boundaries in fiscal 2009, and that neither of them was caused by dehydration.

Mr. Hawkes also said refuge officials made several attempts to reach No More Deaths so the organization could can get a permit approved through a compatibility determination. That is a review process that will allow the group to legally leave water bottles in the wildlife area.

In order to get a permit, the organization must complete a special-use permit detailing quantity, exact locations and clean-up dates.

“It’s up to the U.S. attorney,” Mr. Hawkes said. “He’s waiting to see if they make a bona fide effort to get a permit. He might postpone it, or even dismiss [the case]. He wants to see if they are moving forward.”

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