US seeks to criminalize water for the dying

Take Action--Humanitarian Aid Is Never a Crime!
Dear Friends,

On Friday, December 4, the United States Government faces a choice--to penalize humanitarian aid or to uphold human rights.

No More Deaths volunteer Walt Staton faces potential imprisonment for placing clean drinking water on migrant trails on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, a huge tract of public land near the U.S./Mexico border. (For background on Walt's case, see
http://nomoredeaths.org.)

Since 1994, over 5,000 migrants have died on the border. In 2009, more than 206 bodies were recovered in southern Arizona. Instead of addressing this human rights catastrophe, the United States continues to pursue a failed border policy that criminalizes those who cross, and is attempting to criminalize those who work to prevent their death.

You can make a difference. Here's a series of e-actions you can take:

1. Today or tomorrow, write to Dennis Burke, the newish US Attorney for Arizona, asking him to recommend a suspended sentence in Walt's case and to state publicly that he will not waste public resources on prosecuting humanitarians.
Send a fax: http://tinyurl.com/nmd-burke1209
Or send an email: http://tinyurl.com/nmd-burke1209-email
2. FURTHER E-ACTIONS WILL BE READY LATER TODAY. PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING PAGE FOR UPDATES:
http://tinyurl.com/hnaic1
3. Forward this email to everyone you know and ask them to do the above three things.

Finally, if you are in the Tucson area, please try to attend the re-sentencing and related events. Or consider hosting solidarity events in your community.

RALLY/VIGIL AND HEARING:
Friday, December 4, 12:30 pm (rally/vigil), 3:00 pm (hearing)
Evo DeConcini Federal Courthouse, 405 W. Congress (at Granada)

No More Deaths calls on our supporters and all defenders of human rights to pack the Operation Streamline hearings all week.

OPERATION STREAMLINE COURT PROCEEDINGS:
Monday through Friday, 1:30 pm
Special Proceedings courtroom
Evo DeConcini Federal Courthouse, 405 W. Congress (at Granada)

(For more information on Operation Streamline, see
http://www.immigrationforum.org/images/uploads/OperationStreamlineFactsheet.pdf)

Thank you for your continued work and support on behalf of human rights in the borderlands.

Yours,

David Hill
No More Deaths volunteer