For Immediate Release
October 5, 2021
Contacts:
Arianna Rosales, National Immigration Project, arianna@nipnlg.org
Washington, DC - Today, the National Immigration Project delivered a demand letter to officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf No More Deaths (NMD), a humanitarian aid organization based in southern Arizona, in response to Border Patrol's pattern of surveillance and harassment of NMD camps and volunteers.
Along with detailing Border Patrol's ongoing harassment and surveillance against the organization, the letter breaks down the various ways Border Patrol's conduct violates international standards, raises serious constitutional concerns, and unreasonably burdens the religious practice of NMD, a ministry of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson. The letter demands that Border Patrol immediately cease its harmful misconduct against NMD and that Border Patrol leadership promptly meet with NMD to discuss reasonable accommodation of the organization's religious and humanitarian mission.
"No More Deaths and its volunteers are united by the belief that human suffering must be alleviated wherever it is found, regardless of race, creed, or nationality. Right now, our work is more urgent than ever as the past two years have been historically deadly for migrants crossing the southern Arizona desert. We only wish to proceed with our mission to help others without facing harmful misconduct from an out-of-control agency," said the No More Deaths organization.
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The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG) is a national non-profit organization that provides technical assistance and support to community-based immigrant organizations, legal practitioners, and all advocates seeking and working to advance the rights of noncitizens. NIPNLG utilizes impact litigation, advocacy, and public education to pursue its mission. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow NIPNLG on social media: National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild on Facebook, @NIPNLG on Twitter and Instagram.