Dear friends of No More Deaths,
US Army troops have been deployed to our southern border region to help stop the exodus of Central American asylum seekers from “invading” the United States! Soldiers have put up razor wire on walls in populated parts of the border, to “harden the points of entry.”
We have a border built on human suffering.
Something about this bizarre scenario looks like David and Goliath. The United States Army versus Central American families—people seeking better lives and opportunities away from poverty and violence. How do we get our minds around such a response by our government? What are we afraid of? What can protect us from our fear?
United in resistance
What protects us is love. All the great religions and all people of conscience resoundingly agree that love is what dissolves our fears, fills our hearts with compassion, and compels us to create a just and peaceful world. Yet . . .
We have a border built on human suffering. What does it mean when our security causes others to suffer? Our government’s military response to the Central American exodus—to what has always been a humanitarian crisis—is only intensifying the suffering and risk of death for these migrating families.
We will continue to expand our support for refugees arriving in northern Mexico, continue to assert our right to provide aid in these borderlands, and continue to provide legal assistance to the undocumented in our midst.
No More Deaths and other border-justice groups are unified in our response to our government’s actions against the families approaching our border. No More Deaths endorses and amplifies the Unity Statement released by members of Arizona’s rural border communities.
It is clear to us that our country, built on the backs of immigrants, can and must do better than this. We resolve to continue to raise our voices against these repressive, militaristic tactics and strategies. We will continue to expand our support for refugees arriving in northern Mexico, continue to assert our right to provide aid in these borderlands, and continue to provide legal assistance to the undocumented in our midst.
Your help is vital
Thank you for your generosity and your encouragement over the past fourteen years. We ask for your continued support for our work. You have made a difference in the lives of so many. And we thank you.
In solidarity,
The No More Deaths community
Featured photo: Bob Torrez. In the binational community of Nogales, soldiers install concertina wire along the border wall by the Morley Port of Entry in mid-November.