Four volunteers with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths were convicted in federal court last month on misdemeanor charges related to leaving food and water in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge for migrants crossing the desert. It remains to be seen how the judge's findings impact other humanitarian aid groups along the border.
Despite the legal outcome, No More Deaths spokesperson Catherine Gaffney said: "We succeeded in putting the border crisis on trial and really putting pressure on the government to answer, 'Why are you prosecuting humanitarian aid volunteers when thousands of people are dying in this desert?'"
Nancy Montoya followed the trial and reported on the group's response to the guilty findings, as well as how its tactics differ from groups with similar missions.
Featured in this story: Rev. Robin Hoover, Humane Borders co-founder; Catherine Gaffney, No More Deaths spokesperson; Billy Peard, ACLU Arizona attorney.
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