Gene was born and raised in Arizona, and he shared his involvement in immigrant issues. It began in the 1980's with Central American immigrants (mainly from Guatemala and El Salvador) and the "Sanctuary Movement"started in response.
By 1990 this phase ended, but in 1998-9 people were dying "in our backyard" again. Multiple organizations were started to respond:
- Humane Borders
- The Samaritans
- No More Deaths
Of the hundreds of people that died this past year (253 confirmed deaths in 2010) estimates that actual deaths could be ten times that high. More people have died in the desert since 2001 than all of the men and women in the US armed services in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
These groups also talk to families in Mexico to try and convince them not to try and cross the desert, telling them about the distance involved, and the treacherous terrain. People are desperate and often say, "We have no choice." Many have no experience with the desert because they are from more tropical environments.
These groups interact with all the players (Border Patrol, Minutemen, "coyotes", migrants, etc.) and don't have any issues with incidents. "We train our people in nonviolence, and we operate that way."
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