July 2024

We hope to share information and support you with basic needs while you wait for immigration enforcement:

We are not the Border Patrol (immigration enforcement) or connected to the government in any way. We are volunteer humanitarian aid workers.

The Border Patrol has been arriving here several times a day to pick people up. Recently they have been coming at 8am, 2pm and 8pm, but these times can vary.

If you want to ask for Asylum, it is important that you tell Border Patrol agents about your fear of returning to your country. Border Patrol will not ask you, and they may even tell you that there is no asylum in the country, or try to ignore you.

If you are having a medical emergency please tell a volunteer or the Border Patrol immediately. 

About this camp:

• Everything in this camp is free. Volunteers will never ask for payment for use of the space.
• Do not make fires or burn vegetation.
• Put trash in trash bins.
• Use the designated places for toilets.
• Be respectful of other people and of the place.

• There are usually volunteers present from 7am – 3pm, but sometimes they are not able to be here the whole time. We are not usually here at night. 

• Food: When it is hot and dry we do not use stoves and will only have packaged food to distribute.
• Water: We usually have bottled water available here. The water in the large tanks is safe to drink. Also the water coming from the spigot by the well near the blue flag is safe to drink.
• Medical care: Sometimes we have people here who can provide basic medical care. Please ask a volunteer if you need any help or are worried about the medical issues of yourself or another person.
  • If there is a medical emergency we will work with the Border Patrol and the emergency services to help get the patient to emergency care.  
• WIFI access: there is WIFI available. Simply turn on WIFI on your phone and select the network. It is unlocked. 
• Phone charging: We have some ability to charge cell phones. Please be patient and understand that there may be many people who want to charge their phones at the same time. If there are people waiting, we will not be able to charge your phone up to 100%.
• Shade and rest: The heat can be deadly in the desert. Please stay and rest here where you will have access to shade and water. 
• Clothing
• Hygiene supplies
• Diapers and formula

Where you are:

• You are now 35 km along the wall road from the Border Patrol station located in a town on the US side called Sasabe. 
• It is very far to walk and can take more than a full day for healthy people.
• It gets extremely hot in the daytime, with temperatures in the area regularly higher than 40C.
• The terrain is very mountainous and difficult between here and the Border Patrol station.
• There is another place of rest about 12 km from here. There is not usually WIFI there or electricity. We try to make sure there is food and water but there may not be any volunteers there to help you. 
• There is no cell phone signal along the wall road for the first 15 km. After that it depends on your cell phone company, but it cannot be relied on. 
• We believe that it is safest for you to stay here instead of risking the dangerous walk.

Border Patrol coming to the camp: 

• Border Patrol has been coming to this camp at the end of the wall every day to pick people up. Usually at 8am, 2pm and 8pm, but the times can vary.
• It is not common, but there are times when they have not come for an entire day or more. They may not come when it rains, when there are problems with the road because of the rain, or when their capacity is limited for other reasons.
• They will come and go several times with their trucks to drive people to where their vans are parked until the vans are full.

• Families: Always tell them who your family is and that you want to stay together. You should not be separated from your spouse or children. Try to stay together until you are released from custody.
• If they do not have enough space they usually prioritize women, children and families. In some situations they have separated the women and children from the rest of the family. 
• Single men: If you are a man alone and they do not have space for everyone, it is most likely that you will be left at the camp until the next time they come. It’s important that you know that they will come back, but you may have to wait several hours. Tell them that you have been left at the camp before and ask that you be taken.

• Medical: Tell them if you have an injury, illness, any existing or new medical conditions and any prescription medications that you need. Repeat this to an officer every time you are transferred.

• Asylum: When the Border Patrol picks you up, tell them, “I want to apply for Asylum in the US.”
• If you have a fear of returning to your country, tell them, “I am afraid of returning to my country.”
• Repeat these statements when you are picked up, when you arrive at the station, every time you speak to a new officer and when you are transferred to a new location.

• Belongings: Put all of your most important things in your pockets in case they take your backpack. Ask to be united with your belongings every time you are transferred to a new location and before you are released from custody.
• Shut off your phone before leaving the camp.
• They sometimes remove shoelaces, so you can take them off and keep them in your pocket.

• Border Patrol agents are not always polite. They sometimes lie or manipulate people. Use caution when interacting with them.
• If possible, document your experience at this camp and your experience until you are released from custody.

After you are picked up by Border Patrol:

• You will first be taken to a nearby Border Patrol station in the town of Sasabe, Arizona. 
• Continue to ask for medical needs.
• Continue to ask to stay together as a family.
• Continue to ask for asylum and express fear of being returned to your country of origin.
• Language: ask for interpretation in your language or to speak with an officer who speaks the same language as you. Ask for all documents that you are shown to be in the language that you can read and understand.
• Do not sign any document that the Border Patrol asks you to sign, unless it is in your language and you agree with it. If you sign a document that you don’t understand, it could be for deportation, even if the Border Patrol doesn’t tell you what it is for or says that it is for something else. By signing a deportation form, you are agreeing to be deported and will not be allowed to apply for asylum for an additional 5 years. There can be other orders in the deportation form that we are not aware of.

This is a sign that is posted in detention facilities in English and Spanish: 

If you:

• Are hungry or thirsty,
• Need medical care,
• Fear persecution or torture if removed from the United States,
• Have been a victim of abuse,
• Have been a victim of a sexual assault,
• Have witnessed a crime,
• Tell an Officer. Your claim will be heard.
• You may be referred to a medical professional, an asylum officer, or other law enforcement professional.