‘Trump’s wall’ runs close to 165 miles through the Arizona desert. The temperature was in the high 20s when I was there in late October, but for 100 consecutive days this year the temperatures in Arizona passed 37 degrees. Even the cactuses are dying out.
To build the wall the contractors pumped tens of millions of gallons of local water to make the foundations.
Environmentalists say the damage is probably permanent, the local ecosystem won’t recover. I was there with Tom Wingo and his wife Carol Wingo who do some work with Humane Borders, an NGO that leaves water out for people who are crossing the desert seeking asylum.
Tom Wingo also treks the desert during the winter months with other volunteers looking for bodies of those who died in the pursuit of a better life. He told me any time they go out they’ll find some remains, often scattered by animals. They take the co-ordinates and report it to the local sheriff, but it’s a not a priority. It can take years for local law enforcement to go out to investigate, the morgue is full. Since 2000, over 3,900 remains have been found in Prima county, an area which borders some of the US/ Mexico border in Arizona.
Pictured here is Madeline and her 11-year-old son being processed by US customs. Madeline left her life in Mexico after endless pressure and threats from the cartels. From talking to Tom and Carol, it sounded extremely unlikely Madeline would be given asylum and would probably find herself back in Mexico within the week. Thousands others would make a similar voyage in the hope of better life.
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