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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Tracy L. Carroll, PT, MPH, Department of Family and Community Medicine - College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, P.O. Box 245052, Tucson, AZ 85724-5052, 520-626-7962, tcarroll@email.arizona.edu

Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children facing economic despair, migrate north to the United States every year(1,2,3). 4,000 of these migrants have died from dehydration and exposure crossing the U.S.-Mexican border since 1994(4,2). In spite of sustained efforts by humanitarian groups and the Border Patrol, 282 people lost their lives in Arizona in 2005(5). This public health crisis is one direct result of the U.S. militarized border enforcement strategy (6,7,8) which drives migrants away from urban crossing centers into the dangerous and remote desert areas. This morally intolerable situation inspired the founding of several non-violent, humanitarian responses in Southern Arizona. A diverse coalition of advocates called No More Deaths monitors U.S. operations on the border and works to change U.S. policy away from “war zone” crisis mentality; and to bring the plight of migrants to public attention. Since 2001, local medical and public health students and practitioners have joined the movement. Two public health groups now give practical aid to migrants; Humane Borders, maintaining more than 70 water stations in the borderlands and Samaritans, whose volunteers proactively provide aid in the form of emergency medical care, food and water in the desert. Deployment of emergency aid saves lives (9) and invites public discourse. This presentation will focus on the humanitarian groups which share a conviction that human rights transcend borders, calling us all to overcome discrimination and violence.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session the participant will be able to

• Describe how the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and globalization “push-pull” factors impact work, migration and health.
• Differentiate between myths and facts about immigration.
• Analyze how United States homeland security policies and border enforcement strategies impact health and human rights.
• Understand how gender and age increase migrant vulnerability to the environment, nature and criminals.
• Assess intervention strategies that respond to migrant deaths in the desert borderlands.
• Develop skills for open dialog around strong immigration pressure coupled with growing anti-immigrant sentiment utilizing non-violent conflict resolution techniques.

Keywords: Human Rights, Migrant Health

Related Web page: www.nomoredeaths.org/Index.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation