A group of immigrants trying to cross the border from Mexico into Arizona walks through a drainage pipe that runs from Mexico into the U.S. Suddenly, the tunnel is flooded with rainwater from a storm. Two women and a 2-year-old child survive by clinging to a ladder, but five men and one woman are found dead immediately after the storm, and two more bodies are discovered later in the pipe.

Several weeks later, 20-year-old Roberto Garcia and his friend Juan Lopez, immigrants from Guatemala, cross the border near Brownsville, Texas, heading to jobs in Houston. To avoid the Border Patrol, they spend 2 weeks walking 150 miles through the harsh brushland, drinking water from cattle troughs and eating the fruit of prickly pear cactus. Roberto collapses from dehydration and exhaustion. Juan drags him through the brush in a desperate attempt to find medical help. But before Juan Francisco can reach a highway, Roberto dies.

These true stories (the names have been changed) are among the many tragic tales of death along the US-Mexico border. Since 1998, over 2000 men, women and children have died attempting to cross the border. Although the way is perilous, the desperation of the poor impels them to take the risk. Many drown in the Rio Grande, others die of exhaustion and dehydration, trying to escape the border patrol. About 400 deaths are reported annually, but it is believed that many more deaths are simply undiscovered or unreported.
In response to this tragedy, the non-profit volunteer group No More Deaths has undertaken simple legal means to seek out and help migrants in need. In the desert of Arizona this interfaith coalition has established camps to provide water, food and medical aid for anyone in need. This simple response offers life and hope to our brothers and sisters in a desperate situation.
To learn more of this act of compassion, you may visit their website at  www.nomoredeaths.org