Last month, the fight for a more humane approach to immigration went to Washington, D.C. From Sept. 14-16, No More Deaths, a coalition advocating for human rights along the U.S./Mexico border, and other humanitarian groups from Southern Arizona visited Capitol Hill and called for major reform to current immigration policies.

The delegation held more than 75 individual meetings with members of Congressional staff and shared the realities of migrant suffering and death in the desert. The main message was that the recent U.S. policy of militarizing border regions has not only failed but led to a crisis. No More Deaths argued that rather than stemming migrant flow into the U.S., the militarization has forced migrants to cross the border at more remote locations and led to major increases in death by exposure.

In place of the current policy, the delegation advocated for employment-based immigration reform, recognizing the value of immigrant labor in the economy with temporary work visas for undocumented immigrants and possible paths to permanent residency.

For more information on the reform measure and No More Deaths, log onto: www.nomoredeaths.org.

-Will Sands