Now, a humanitarian effort designed to help those in the process of committing a crime.
And, it truly is humanitarian, truly is a good thing.
Take Daniel Millis, of Tucson, Arizona. He leaves water bottles in the desert for those crossing the the border from Mexico. I believe the group he volunteers with is called No More Deaths, and No More Deaths literally saves lives.
Of those in the act of committing a crime.
There's a high mortality rate associated with seeking to live on American soil without permission to do so. Hundreds of people a year die crossing the parched desert into the U.S. No More Deaths and other like-minded humanitarian groups seek to put an end to the deaths, placing water bottles and food and medical supplies along known trails.
Millis got into trouble for his efforts. He left the water bottles and was arrested for littering. Leaving garbage in a national wildlife refuge is a crime, and water bottles, even with the water still in them, were considered garbage by those who arrested him. Millis was convicted, but last week got a break. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned his conviction.
This marked the second significant legal victory No More Deaths has had, according to a defense lawyer for the group. (This per a San Francisco Chronicle story posted a week ago.) The lawyer said several years ago, two volunteers found three very ill migrants and transported them to a medical clinic -- only to be charged with transporting illegal immigrants. The charges were dismissed.
Reading the story left me wondering if there are really those who say, "Let them die. They are committing a crime and don't deserve any assistance."
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