Unlike my usual Saturday, this past one I woke up at 5 AM to make an hour-long drive to Arivaca, Arizona. On the way there, we made a stop at a local grocery store. We bought 10 gallons of water, some crackers, and a couple of protein bars. We then drove another thirty minutes to Arivaca lake. We got off the car, loaded our backpacks with canned goods, crackers, and the protein bars, and, with a gallon of water in each hand, set off on a hike through the terrain. We would walk for about 30 minutes before reaching the first water drop. We saw open cans of beans, empty gallons of water, and an old bible. We replaced them and moved forward. We would walk for about another 20 minutes before reaching the next, and final, water drop and encounter the same thing. We would then return to the car. I was exhausted and it was only around 2 hours of walking.
Most times, the people who attempt to cross the border through Arizona spend weeks out there. It is physically impossible to bring the supplies they need with them, so it is very likely that they will run out of supplies quickly. Ever since the militarization of the border, more and more deaths have occurred in the Arizona desert. Additionally, these people often get harassed by border patrol if they get caught. They are not immediately provided the medical attention they may need. We often forget to speak about the humanitarian side of this issue. We never speak about the ways we can prevent more deaths. These issues are often overlooked and undermined. We need to devise ways in which we show compassion and stop simply viewing them as immigrants and start viewing them as humans. We need to realize their lives are just as valuable as ours.