Death On The Southern Border

The Guardian is reporting that thousands of emergency water and food supplies meant for desperae undocumented immigrants in the Arizona desert were systematically sabotaged or destroyed between 2012 and 2015 by U.S. Border Patrol agents, almost certainly causing deaths among the border crossers. According to humanitarian groups based in Tucson, border agents deliberately sabotaged the supplies in an attempt to punish and deter illegal border crossers. Nearly 3,600 gallons of water were destroyed during the period studied, along with destruction of food supplies and blankets. The humanitarian groups, No More Deaths and La Coalición de Derechos Humanos, reported that:

“The practice of destruction of and interference with aid is not the deviant behavior of a few rogue border patrol agents, it is a systemic feature of enforcement practices in the borderlands.”

It should come as no surprise that this life-threatening thuggery was being carried out by a group that endorsed neo-fascist bigot Donald "Rump" Trump for President. In their unhinged endorsement, the National Border Patrol Council, which represents 16,500 border patrol agents, stated:

"We need a person in the White House who doesn't fear the media, who doesn't embrace political correctness, who doesn't need the money, who is familiar with success, who won't bow to foreign dictators, who is pro-military and values law enforcement, and who is angry for America and NOT subservient to the interests of other nations. Donald Trump is such a man."

We suppose that not embracing "political correctness" and being "pro-military" and "angry for America" can be translated by them as a license to viciously condemn human beings to death in the desert. (Also, the idea that Rump is "NOT subservient to the interests of other nations" is a hoot, as we'll eventually learn through the Russiagate investigation).

If Rump's "beautiful" border wall is built in some form or another, along with enhanced security measures, that would suggest the need for 16,500 politicized border patrol agents would be very severely diminished. That might be the best outcome of any implementation of Rump's ridiculous project. Ironic, no?

(photo: The Sonoran desert along the U.S.-Mexico border)