Humane Borders

10/20/2026

Over the weekend, longtime Humane Borders drivers gathered for a day we hoped would never come—to remove remaining water stations at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. A rainbow was our guide—the product of water and light 🌈 We drained and dismantled three stations in a place where 16 migrant deaths have been reported so far this year. On the same day, volunteer searchers recovered the remains of yet another migrant at Organ Pipe. As a nonpartisan organization, we’ve been doing this work for 25 years under both Republican and Democratic leadership. While we denounce this action by the current administration, it strengthens our resolve to KEEP GOING. With 70 percent of our stations remaining on private and locally-managed lands, we will do the work until there are no more deaths—more than 4,500 in the last 25 years. You can help. Host a water station, donate, and volunteer at humaneborders.org. Thanks for caring 🙏

10/15/2026

Trip report: Let’s talk about militarization of the border. There was a time when the borderlands were peaceful and pristine. We rarely saw a person but we were treated to deer, pronghorn, and javelina. A red-tailed hawk soared overhead. The only sound was the wind.

Now roads are closed and checkpoints delay traffic. Mountains are scarred by bulldozers. U.S. citizens are stopped and questioned by private security officers who videotape their every move. Humanitarians are trailed by Border Patrol agents on dirt bikes as military helicopters hover overhead. Predator drones — the same aircraft used in Iran and other foreign wars —surveil U.S. border communities. Razor wire is deployed along the wall on the U.S. side of the border, ensnaring wildlife. Armed soldiers pull up in military vehicles and full combat gear, menacing people they have sworn to protect. We ask: “are we really living in America, the land of the free?” 😞

10/08/2026

Three more migrant deaths were reported by the Pima County Medical Examiner in September 2026, bringing the total number of deaths in Arizona this year to 89.

The deaths are occurring at the same time the federal government is denying permits for 12 Humane Borders water stations. This is cruel and without precedent.

There are 4,517 Arizona migrant deaths in our database—that we know about. Imagine what that number would be without the water stations. Then imagine a future with NO deaths because we have safe, legal pathways for people to work and seek safety in the U.S.

A map of the remains reported in September 2026 is at https://humaneborders.info/latest/.

The denial of federal permits only strengthens our resolve to save lives with stations on private and locally-managed land. Join us!

10/01/2026

BREAKING: The federal government is denying permit renewals for 12 Humane Borders water stations in Arizona at a time when migrant deaths are rising. This means more will die.

Humane Borders has worked in partnership with federal agencies for 25 years under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Saving lives isn’t political; it’s what we are called to do as humans.

While this is heartbreaking news, our resolve is strong and our work will continue on ranches and locally-managed lands. And we will return to federal lands one day, when kindness prevails. Join us! ✊

09/16/2026

We are Humane Borders—please watch this video about our lifesaving work and share!💧

Guided by our faith-based roots, our mission is to save lives and t...

09/12/2026

Sadly, it remains a deadly summer in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, with 13 new migrant deaths reported by the Pima County Medical Examiner in August. All but one perished in 2026.

Recently-found individuals grouped by PMI (Post Mortem Interval):
7 dead less than a day
2 dead less than a week
2 dead less than 5 weeks
1 dead less than 3 months
1 dead more than 6-8 months
Total: 13

Meanwhile, the medical examiner identified 13 individuals by name (1,641 cases remain unidentified).

A map of the remains reported in August is at https://humaneborders.info/latest/.

Total deaths currently recorded in our database: 4,514 men, women, and children.

We will continue to advocate for justice and operate permitted water stations until there are no more deaths in Arizona’s land of open graves ✝️😢

08/27/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Humane Borders stands in solidarity with the Tohono O’odham Nation and expresses our deep concern regarding reports of federal personnel and contractors entering tribal lands without consultation and consent. As a humanitarian organization committed to dignity, safety, and respect for all communities along the border, we affirm the Nation’s sovereign right to govern its lands and uphold its laws.

According to public statements issued by Tohono O’odham leadership, federal agents and contractors entered tribal land before dawn on Aug. 26 in advance of border‑barrier construction, in violation of the Nation’s civil trespass code. The Nation further reports that a vehicle blockade prevented tribal police from issuing citations and removing contractors. These accounts raise serious questions about transparency, consultation, and respect for tribal authority.

We respectfully urge federal agencies to pause all activities related to border‑barrier construction on Tohono O’odham land until meaningful government‑to‑government dialogue occurs. We echo the Nation’s call for federal personnel to honor commitments to tribal sovereignty and to ensure that any actions taken on tribal lands are lawful, transparent, and grounded in consultation.

Humane Borders also asks federal agencies to consider the broader humanitarian and ecological impacts of border‑barrier construction across the borderlands. Communities are concerned about groundwater depletion, habitat disruption, and damage to culturally-significant sites. These concerns deserve careful review and open communication.

Humane Borders remains committed to humanitarian neutrality, respectful collaboration, and the protection of human dignity in all border communities. We will continue to listen to tribal leaders, local residents, and partner organizations as this situation evolves.

08/24/2026

Temps may be in the triple digits in Arizona, but our summer volunteers get it done! For 26 years, Humane Borders has saved lives by maintaining dozens of permitted water stations along the southern border. We can’t fix all the problems in the world, but we can offer water in the desert so no one dies of dehydration and exposure. Join us! Learn more at humaneborders.org

08/21/2026

People dying in the desert by the dozens is not normal 😓 Recommended reading (link in comments)

08/20/2026

This isn’t about crime or criminals.

"Undocumented migration does not raise crime rates, huge study finds," reports Nature, which cites the paper whose lead author is University of California, Irvine Chancellor's Professor Charis E. Kubrin. Co-authors of the study published Aug. 10 in the Journal of Urban Affairs include her colleague in the Department of Criminology, Law & Society, Professor John R. Hipp. https://ow.ly/8cUi50ZA0oQ