Volunteers to work with Border Patrol

By Stephanie Innes
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

An unprecedented number of volunteers will head into the Southern Arizona desert this summer to offer help to illegal entrants in distress, apparently undaunted by the arrests of two aid workers last summer.

Increased awareness of U.S. immigration policy, along with publicity about the arrests of the aid workers, has fueled interest in faith-based organizations that help migrants, volunteer organizers say.

Leaders of the local No More Deaths and Samaritan Patrol programs report a surge of volunteers who have signed up to dole out food, water and medical aid to migrants who illegally walk into the country from Mexico. Other groups also have received increased interest, including Humane Borders, which puts water tanks in areas frequented by migrants.

What's unclear is how the groups are going to handle situations like the one that led to last summer's arrests — when volunteers come across migrants whom they believe are gravely ill and in need of immediate medical attention.