WEBVTT - The Border Has Eyes 0:00:01.639 --> 0:00:04.560 These towers. They're like high tech scarecrows out in the desert. 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:08.960 They're mounted at around one hundred feet tall because the 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:10.960 whole purpose of the towers is get up and above 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:14.160 the landscape, so you can see a wide area and 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:16.200 if you can see the towers right, they can see you. 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:25.040 Fran Fuduro Media and PRX. It's Latino USA. I'm Marienno Rossac. 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:29.720 Today a story about how new bordered technology is impacting 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:33.479 communities in the United States. We go to Arizona, where 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:37.080 private companies built some of the first surveillance towers on 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:39.559 the US Mexico border, and we're going to take a 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:43.760 look at what these towers mean today for our country, 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:46.800 for the future of the people who are crossing, and 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:50.120 for the future of the people who live on the border. 0:00:57.200 --> 0:00:59.960 So with me in the studio is Latino USA Produce 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:01.560 Serving Andolano's Junior. 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:03.240 Hey, Ray, Hey Maria. 0:01:03.840 --> 0:01:06.720 So Ray, you have been busy over the last several months. 0:01:06.720 --> 0:01:12.959 You've been researching surveillance technology, specifically technology that's being used 0:01:13.000 --> 0:01:16.399 on the US Mexico border. So tell me what has 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:17.360 been your focus. 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:20.000 Yeah, well, let me start off by saying that you 0:01:20.000 --> 0:01:22.480 know both you and I have reported on the border 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:24.920 for years now, and I grew up in the Roal 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:28.280 Grande Valley of South Texas and I was an immigration 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:29.880 reported there for a while. 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.080 Right, And you did a lot of strong reporting along 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:36.960 the border. In fact, you were covering the last two 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:42.520 years of the Trump administration, specifically policies like the Remain 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:47.160 in Mexico program and the expulsions because of Title forty two. 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:50.720 Yes, I reported on those policies. And for this story, 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:54.400 I decided to look at border technology and how it's 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:58.760 impacting migration. And I specifically wanted to dig deep and 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:02.720 better understand the the border surveillance towers that are there 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:05.600 and these integrated fixed towers. 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:09.880 So that's a very high tech term, integrated fixed towers, 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:12.960 because you know, when I think of border technology, I 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:18.160 think of like drones, biometrics, you know, license plate readers, 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:23.280 ground sensors, cameras everywhere. But you're talking now about then 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:26.080 extra layer of surveillance, right. 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.040 Yeah, that's exactly right. And you know, these types of 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:32.320 towers are just like one of several types of towers 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:35.480 and everything that you just mentioned, Maria, as you know, 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.440 is part of this bigger thing known as the virtual wall. 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:42.120 It's also labeled as the cyber wall, and the US 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:45.799 is pouring more and more money into this type of technology. 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:50.720 As of early November, Maria, it's estimated that there are 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:55.400 about five hundred surveillance towers across the entire US Mexico border. 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.760 Right and from where we are now, ray the politics 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:03.560 of today is actually at both Republicans and Democrats support 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:08.720 the expansion of this virtual wall, this cyber wall. 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:12.240 That's exactly right, and that's one of the reasons why 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.120 I wanted to look at this issue. Now. You know, Madia, 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:19.240 we know that a physical wall is controversial across political aisles, 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:23.160 but both Democrats and Republicans seem to be in favor 0:03:23.320 --> 0:03:27.679 of border technology. And Madia, I think it's also important 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:31.280 to say that, you know President Electrump's website. On it, 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:33.840 there's a link to the gopiece platform, and it says 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:37.279 that they are in favor of using quote advanced technology 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:41.720 to monitor and secure the border. But you know, activists 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:45.200 and researchers argue that a virtual law is just as 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:49.760 problematic and oftentimes as dangerous and deadly as a physical law. 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:52.320 And I think that's why it's important for us to 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:55.800 look at this. So throughout this story, we'll hear snapshots 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:59.360 from across southern Arizona, and we're focusing on this region 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:03.840 specific because that's where one of the first major concentrations 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:07.240 of surveillance towers on the US Mexico border happened. 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:09.600 You know, it turns out that this is a place 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:13.280 where I've reported from several times on other border issues. 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:17.880 It's also a place that Latino USA continues to go 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:22.360 back to in our reporting exactly, Maria. Okay, Ray, So 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:26.600 you're taking us to Tucson, Arizona. That's where you end 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:29.680 up meeting with a group of people who tried to 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:34.320 do something about these surveillance towers before they even went up. 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:39.800 So take us there, take us to the story. Thanks Ray. 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.120 The tuthon sun is shining down on me as I 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:48.840 walk towards a large, rusted colored gate. As I slid 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:52.080 it open, a little lizard scurries away into the cracks 0:04:52.120 --> 0:04:54.560 on the wall, and there's a car waiting for me. 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:58.719 How you doing good? 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:01.160 I finally meet you. 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:07.800 That's Valentina Andrews. She goes by, Tina, I hop in 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:11.240 her car and we instantly connect over our cats. 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:15.400 So thunder Cat is a big, fluffy brown taba Cali. 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:18.440 She is just a short hair all black. 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:19.080 Cat oh Okay. 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:21.880 Tina was raised on the Thano Atam Nation, which is 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.599 about an hour and a half southwest of Tucson, where 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:28.400 she was born. The reservation is federally recognized and her 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:31.600 people are known for thriving in the harsh desert climate. 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:40.560 The reservation is about two point eight million acres, or 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:44.520 about the size of Connecticut. The nation is made up 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:48.480 of eleven districts and there's about thirty four thousand yearrolled members. 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:53.360 The Thano Autumn people were separated when the border was created. 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.919 This ended up splitting the nation, with thno Autumn people 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:03.279 now living on both sides. The nation has not wanted 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.159 a border walk for many reasons, but one of the 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:09.119 main ones is because they worried that a physical wall 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:13.240 could further cut their tithes with athano Aatam people in Mexico. 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:22.080 So we just entered the nation, and so. 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.359 We're going to take a drive down south close to 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:27.880 the border and check out one of those surveillance towers. 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:30.440 Tina and I are heading to a small town on 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:33.440 the nation named Cells. Our plan is to meet up 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:37.480 with Tina's friend Joshua Garcia. He's also a tribal member 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.320 who was raised on the reservation. He lives in the 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.880 Chickakook District, which sits on the border where some surveillance 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:51.919 towers were built. Last a year, okay, Tina and I 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:54.880 hop into his truck and head south to the Chickakook 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:57.240 District on the border to go see one of the 0:06:57.279 --> 0:07:01.200 surveillance towers on their land. Both Tina and josh were 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:04.760 outspoken against the towers and they tried to raise awareness 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.839 about them. Tina had a podcast and Josh would go 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:11.360 around the community to talk about the surveillance towers. This 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:15.400 was their way of resisting the towers. But despite THEIRS 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:19.680 and many community members' criticisms, the towers were still built. 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:23.720 So right now we're pulling up to one of the 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:28.440 Albit towers and we're still on this dirt road. You know, 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:32.280 it's kind of bumpy, it's very rocky, and to the 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.560 side of us they're saguaros, And yeah, now we're kind 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:43.760 of directly in front of this tower. In twenty fourteen, 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:47.440 US Customs and Border Protection approved the building of surveillance 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:52.480 towers across southern Arizona, including several on the thano Atam Nation. 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:57.200 The multi million dollar contract was awarded to Elbit Systems 0:07:57.200 --> 0:08:00.400 of America. It's a US division of a company named 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:04.600 Albert Systems, which is one of Israel's largest military companies. 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:09.000 More than fifty integrated fixed towers from Albert would end 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:12.640 up being built. This is a commercial that Albert ran 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:14.680 on their YouTube page in twenty twenty one. 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:21.520 From Combits to combat Vehicles, Elbit Systems technologies are operational 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:28.720 in dozens of countries. Our solutions enable domination of the battle, 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:32.480 to engage threats with power. 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:40.080 And precision, and they're also a global leader when it 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:44.320 comes to the surveillance industry. Albert has actually used similar 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:49.520 surveillance towers on their border with Palestine. This connection between Albert, 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:52.800 Israel and Palestine was a concern that many on the 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.560 nation stressed. Some on the thano Atam Nation felt that 0:08:56.760 --> 0:09:01.160 having this same technology on their land felt like an occupation. 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:09.880 Shoots tipman, take a look, Yeah that's ti. I just 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:11.560 think somebody's watching this for sure. 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:14.800 Wow, these panels are huge. 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.760 The Elbeit tower is huge. It shoots more than one 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:22.640 hundred and twenty feet into the sky. And it's about 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.760 the size of a twelve story building. It looks like 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:30.400 a metal communications tower or a cell phone tower. If 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:33.319 you look closely, you can see a camera at the 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:36.720 very top of it. These towers have the ability to 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:40.000 see up to seven point five miles within its radius. 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:42.680 That's about the length of more than one hundred and 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:48.440 ten football fields. They can watch cars, people, animals, really 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:52.720 anything within its range, and these towers are sometimes within 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:56.040 close proximity of each other to make sure they capture 0:09:56.240 --> 0:10:00.400 everything within its line of sight. It's like surround you know, 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:04.880 by a chain link fence with some barbed wires around 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:08.400 it as well. And directly in front of it is 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:11.400 a massive solar panel. It's about the size of two 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:15.959 trucks to help power these towers. These surveillance towers are 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:20.079 part of a broader network known as the Integrated Fixed 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:25.320 Tower System. It's basically a bunch of towers on the 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:28.320 border that monitor and talk to each other and let 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:32.040 border agents know when they detect movement in the area. 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:35.920 This network has been described by some experts as the 0:10:35.960 --> 0:10:41.439 spinal cord of the virtual wall. Both Tina and Josh 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.400 stare at it. They have to tilt their heads back 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:49.320 to see all of it. Standing in front of this tower, 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:52.320 what goes on in your head just like looking at it. 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:56.400 Seeing it, just know that somebody's there watching us, and 0:10:57.240 --> 0:10:59.720 at the same time, you know, hearing the birds out 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:06.720 there singing, and how it's just such a desecration to 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.280 the space. So to me, it just makes me really 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:13.960 sad to see the signs here on our own supposedly 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:18.680 sovereign land. 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:23.480 Tina and Josh tried their best to fight against these towers, 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:27.280 but ultimately they were constructed after leaders from the nation 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:31.080 approved the towers on their land. It was reported that 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:35.400 this happened in twenty nineteen. CBP secured enough money to 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:39.199 allow for ten surveillance towers to be built on their lands. 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:42.559 It was also reported at the time that tribal leadership 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:45.480 thought that by permitting these towers being built, it could 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:49.160 help eliminate the need for a physical law, but federal 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:51.640 officials have said that the need for the wall has 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:53.160 not been eliminated. 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:58.480 Even though the community is on your side, but really 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:03.520 it's those officials and our nation's governments that are the 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:07.199 ones that are making these decisions. That's something that's the 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:08.320 kind of hardest. 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:16.040 Thing but it doesn't stop there. Elbett has already been 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:20.760 awarded a contract to build more surveillance towers, possibly including 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:25.040 these same types of integrated fixed towers along the border 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:26.400 in the next few years. 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:29.160 Looking back on it today and seeing where we're at 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.160 and what it is and then actually standing next to one, 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:36.280 you know, what we just did today was very very 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:40.160 surreal and very like I'm just still like processing how 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:40.760 tod theay Win. 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:44.760 Tina says that when the towers were being built across 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:48.320 southern Arizona, there's been a steady presence of Border patrol 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:52.800 agents in their community through the years, and they work 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:56.760 hand in hand with the surveillance towers. The towers notify 0:12:56.840 --> 0:13:00.640 agents when they detect movement, and that tells agents that 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:05.360 they need to monitor the area. So it's not just 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.200 the towers on the border that Tina has seen and 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:16.440 had to deal with. It's also border militarization. In twenty twenty, 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:20.079 shortly after some towers were built, a group of Indigenous 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:24.360 led organizers gathered near a border patrol checkpoint in Pima County, 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:27.400 where part of the thano Otam nation is located. It 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:31.120 was on Indigenous People's Day and they were protesting proposed 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:35.760 border wall construction. Some people were tear guested and even 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:39.480 shot with rubber bullets by law enforcement officials that day. 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:49.280 And last year, Autumn Nation member Raymond Mattia was killed 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:52.200 in front of his home by Border patrol agents who 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:54.760 were responding to a call that shots had been fired 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.199 about a mile from the US Mexico border. 0:13:57.559 --> 0:14:00.560 New information out of Pima County tonight after member of 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:04.320 the Telona Odam Nation was shot to death by Border patrol. 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:06.880 The autopsy shows that Raymond Mattia were shot at least 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:07.840 nine times. 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:11.040 Raymond was reaching into his jacket to take out a 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:14.680 cell phone, which law enforcement officials claimed they mistook for 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:18.800 a gun. Three border patrol agents fired dozens of rounds 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:23.080 at him. He was killed on the scene. Tina has 0:14:23.160 --> 0:14:27.040 also had her own run ins with border militarization. One 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:29.880 moment really stands out to her. It was when border 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:33.400 agents pulled her and her family over after the attendant 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:35.360 and memorial service for her uncle. 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:38.080 Everybody in the car was like in a panic, and 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:40.800 I was like trying to calm the situation because they 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:43.560 had their guns drawn on us, and also I had 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:45.480 to show proof and let them know this is who 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:47.400 we are, this is where we're coming from. 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:51.760 Tina says she believes she was being racially profiled. She 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:54.760 feels like she's part of the last generation on the 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:58.200 nation to know what life was like before the intense 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:02.920 and daily militarization and surveillance that goes hand in hand 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:04.120 with the towers. 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:07.920 When I think of my nieces and nephews, who are 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:11.320 you know, babies and range from the ages of their 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.960 early twenties, they know that that's what they grew up seeing, 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:18.280 and that's normalized to them, but for us, still not 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:21.000 normals for us, and we I don't think we'll ever 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:24.680 accept that. It's sad to even think that this could 0:15:24.720 --> 0:15:26.640 be potentially a permanent thing for us here. 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:32.720 Tina's fears about border patrol are informed by reality. In 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:35.520 the last five years, at least two hundred and twenty 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.920 two people were killed across the country during encounters with CBP. 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:44.320 On top of that, DHS reported that there was an 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:49.520 estimated four thousand border patrol agents nationwide in nineteen ninety two, 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:53.040 and about thirty years later, in twenty twenty, there were 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:57.320 almost twenty thousand agents. That's a growth of about five 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:05.320 times within three decades. Arizona itself also experience an explosion 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.920 of agents. In nineteen ninety two, there were only three 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:12.560 hundred border agents, and by twenty twenty there were more 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:16.520 than three thousand, six hundred. That's about twelve times more. 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.720 You want to give border patrol officers the benefit of 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:23.120 the doubt, but when majority of your experiences are not 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:26.480 good and are negative when it comes to dealing with 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:31.040 border issues, then of course, yeah, then that frustration starts 0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:31.400 to build. 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:35.400 Tina says her people were sold the idea that these 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:39.120 towers would protect them, but in reality, she says, they 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:43.520 feel more surveilled and have ultimately experienced more violence on 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:53.160 the border. As Tina, Josh and I walk back to 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:56.920 the truck, I seen empty black water jug that migrants 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.720 use to stay hydrated on their journey into the US. 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:03.960 I also see other things like clothes, backpacks, and shoes 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:12.480 lying in the dry desert landscape. You know, we're really 0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:15.840 close to your community, you know. As we drive, just 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:19.200 I keep seeing those jugs the migrants carrying. What goes 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:23.280 on for just you personally when you see stuff like that. 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:25.399 Well, I just kind of always wonder where did they 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:31.200 come from? What kind of circumstances led them to take 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:32.240 this huge risk. 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.800 This region has been a corridor for migration through the years, 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.760 and it's been extremely deadly. For me, it's. 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:44.680 Almost like a very surreal feeling because well, like it's 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:48.520 all them people. There's a lot that goes with death, 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:52.440 and so I always think, like, where are these people's 0:17:52.440 --> 0:17:56.399 spirits at. I hope they're found some kind of peace. 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:04.240 This is something that people living on the border think 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:07.760 about a lot. How many people have actually died in 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:13.440 this region. Several humanitarian nonprofits say that it's a number 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:17.800 that is under reported by the federal government. But one 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:20.960 thing that we do know is that these surveillance towers 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.760 don't just keep their eyes on the borderlands. They're actually 0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:26.800 contributing to something much darker. 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:34.000 When we come back, dear listener, let you know, USA 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:39.440 producer Renaldo Lanos Junior travels to another part of southern Arizona. 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:42.840 He's going to help explain the funneling effect that these 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:46.879 towers create by redirecting migrants to some of the most 0:18:46.920 --> 0:18:51.399 remote and deadly parts of the border. We're also going 0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:54.959 to hear about how some aid workers there are working 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:59.520 to help prevent people from dying in the desert. Stay 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:21.880 with us, Mayes, Hey, we're back. When we left off, 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:26.359 we heard from Latino USA producer Renaldo Les Junior about 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:30.840 how the Dano attum nation along southern Arizona was dealing 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:37.159 with surveillance towers on the border. Renaldo is back in 0:19:37.200 --> 0:19:40.840 the studio with me. So, Ray, you're reporting about the 0:19:40.960 --> 0:19:46.000 concerns that the indigenous people had about these towers, but 0:19:46.160 --> 0:19:49.359 you also found out that there's a correlation between these 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:53.120 surveillance towers and deaths in the desert. 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:56.199 What is that. That's exactly right, Maria, and it's actually 0:19:56.200 --> 0:19:58.640 building off some of the reporting that you and other 0:19:58.760 --> 0:20:02.560 Latino USA colleague have done throughout the years, and most 0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:05.600 recently it was a story in twenty twenty two by 0:20:05.680 --> 0:20:10.280 Futuro Investigates. Well, you talked about the prevention through deterrence policy. 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:12.200 Here's a clip of you from that piece. 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:17.840 President Bill Clinton faced bipartisan pressure to quote do something 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:23.359 about the border. He supported this policy of prevention through deterrence. 0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:29.280 This funneled people to the most geographically dangerous areas. So, Ray, 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:32.520 what you're basically saying is that the towers, these surveillance 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:37.000 towers are the newest addition in terms of technology to 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:41.760 what has been going on since nineteen ninety four with 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:47.040 this whole philosophy of prevention through deterrence, right, It's a 0:20:47.080 --> 0:20:51.199 policy designed to deter people from crossing the US Mexico 0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:55.480 border by not only strengthening border patrol presence, but also 0:20:55.960 --> 0:20:59.080 by setting up things like roadblocks and making it just 0:20:59.560 --> 0:21:01.480 much more are difficult to cross. 0:21:02.000 --> 0:21:04.440 Yes, and now migrants are trying to stay out of 0:21:04.480 --> 0:21:07.560 the line of sight of these towers in fear of apprehension, 0:21:07.680 --> 0:21:10.119 you know, and for that reason they get funnel to 0:21:10.160 --> 0:21:13.159 remote parts of the desert. And to find out more 0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:16.760 about how these towers are arguably contributing to the deaths 0:21:16.760 --> 0:21:19.240 of those crossing, I met up with some activists in 0:21:19.240 --> 0:21:22.879 the Sonoran Desert who are witnessing this firsthand and who 0:21:22.920 --> 0:21:25.359 are trying to prevent these deaths from happening in the 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:26.000 first place. 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:28.680 Okay, Ray, you're going to take on the story from here, 0:21:29.320 --> 0:21:29.679 thank you. 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:36.560 I recently met up with a group of volunteers. They're 0:21:36.600 --> 0:21:41.280 known as the Tucson Samaritans, and if their name sounds familiar, 0:21:41.400 --> 0:21:43.720 it's because we've had them on our show earlier this 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:47.040 year for a story about the border wall, its impacts 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:49.800 on a nearby town, and what daily life is like 0:21:50.080 --> 0:21:54.200 by the southern Wall in Arizona. I'm with them today 0:21:54.320 --> 0:21:56.480 because one of the things they do is that they 0:21:56.560 --> 0:21:59.159 leave food and jugs of water for migrants who might 0:21:59.160 --> 0:22:01.560 be passing through. It's kind of similar to the one 0:22:01.600 --> 0:22:04.400 I saw with Josh and Tina on the thano Atam nation. 0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:08.719 The Samaritans travel to remote parts of the desert in 0:22:08.800 --> 0:22:13.040 hopes that this small gesture might help prevent dehydration, starvation, 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:14.200 and even death. 0:22:14.560 --> 0:22:14.720 Hi. 0:22:14.880 --> 0:22:15.399 Good morning. 0:22:15.880 --> 0:22:18.360 Hi, Yes, I'm right. 0:22:18.440 --> 0:22:19.199 I'm nice to meet you. 0:22:19.480 --> 0:22:24.080 Michael him Michael, worry me you no pearly yet. It's 0:22:24.119 --> 0:22:24.840 seven o'clock. 0:22:27.080 --> 0:22:31.040 Brian and Michael are both volunteers with the Samaritans. Brian's 0:22:31.080 --> 0:22:33.000 been with them for several years now. 0:22:33.720 --> 0:22:35.400 I think we're not loading back here. 0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:38.240 Okay, it's seven in the morning, and it's kind of 0:22:38.280 --> 0:22:40.639 cool out right now, but I know that this is 0:22:40.680 --> 0:22:43.680 a place where temperatures can reach one hundred and eighteen 0:22:43.680 --> 0:22:48.840 degrees fahrenheit. Brian says that today they'll hit several water drops, 0:22:49.000 --> 0:22:51.760 and these spots are places he hasn't been to in 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:58.480 a while. Hi, Michael, that's she's with the Colivity Center 0:22:58.840 --> 0:23:02.440 here in Tucson. The organization helps identify the bodies of 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:05.800 migrants who have died in the region. It's also her 0:23:05.800 --> 0:23:09.560 first time being out with the Samaritans, but she's very 0:23:09.560 --> 0:23:18.960 familiar with their work. The four of us cram into 0:23:19.000 --> 0:23:22.080 a small suv and we head southwest for about an 0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:25.600 hour and a half. The view goes from a thriving, 0:23:25.680 --> 0:23:30.800 bustling city to a vast, dry desert landscape. After about 0:23:30.840 --> 0:23:34.480 forty five minutes, I lose cell phone service. On our way. 0:23:34.760 --> 0:23:37.960 We also drive by a surveillance tower standing in the 0:23:38.000 --> 0:23:41.600 middle of nowhere. It was a reminder that there's eyes 0:23:41.680 --> 0:23:47.879 here keeping watch. We finally get to our first destination. 0:23:48.480 --> 0:23:51.800 They'll be dropping off water and food for migrants. We 0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:53.639 all go to the back of the truck to gather 0:23:53.760 --> 0:23:54.560 the essentials. 0:23:54.840 --> 0:23:58.040 Food is probably the most important, because we've been fighting here, 0:23:58.080 --> 0:23:59.360 is that the food is gone. 0:23:59.440 --> 0:24:00.000 Every time. 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:02.359 There's a bucket down there that we can seal. 0:24:02.400 --> 0:24:05.760 A five gallon buckett bet Loove, Brian and Michael take 0:24:05.800 --> 0:24:09.440 granola bars, vienna, sausages, and other snacks to leave out 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:13.040 for the migrants. They also grab several one gallon jugs 0:24:13.040 --> 0:24:13.440 of water. 0:24:13.640 --> 0:24:14.520 All right, here we go. 0:24:17.359 --> 0:24:20.679 We hike for about half an hour. These water drops 0:24:20.720 --> 0:24:23.280 across the border have been reported on a lot, but 0:24:23.720 --> 0:24:26.720 it also shows that the work is never over, and 0:24:26.800 --> 0:24:30.000 as the planet gets warmer, they say it's more important 0:24:30.040 --> 0:24:35.480 than ever. When we finally get to our destination, we 0:24:35.560 --> 0:24:38.080 see that there's already food and water there. 0:24:39.000 --> 0:24:42.000 Every trip the last six months out here it's been empty, 0:24:42.800 --> 0:24:46.320 so we have to be out here regularly everywhere to 0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:49.480 see where we see signs of recent passage. We often 0:24:49.480 --> 0:24:51.680 try to put drops in an area like this, where 0:24:51.760 --> 0:24:54.320 it's in a canyon, there's only one place to walk, 0:24:54.800 --> 0:24:57.200 so if anybody's passing through here, unless they're on top 0:24:57.200 --> 0:25:00.399 of the ridges, they're going to find the supplies that we've. 0:25:00.320 --> 0:25:05.680 Left still, Brian leaves extra food and water just in case, 0:25:06.200 --> 0:25:10.920 because nearby we see signs that there's been movement here. Backpacks, 0:25:11.000 --> 0:25:13.920 clothes and other items are scattered on the ground. 0:25:14.400 --> 0:25:18.760 Cartels often have guides who can lead people north, although 0:25:19.560 --> 0:25:22.200 my understanding is that more and more it's being done 0:25:22.280 --> 0:25:27.520 remotely with cell phones and downloadable maps, so there could 0:25:27.520 --> 0:25:29.639 be groups out here who do not have a guide 0:25:29.720 --> 0:25:32.240 with them but simply get instructed in the morning. Here's 0:25:32.280 --> 0:25:34.879 where you need to get to by nighttime. Good luck. 0:25:35.320 --> 0:25:38.080