Our new report — Left to Die: Border Patrol, Search and Rescue and the Crisis of Disappearance — is out now! ( http://www.thedisappearedreport.org ).

Here are some of our KEY FINDINGS

There is an urgent need for emergency search & rescue services for undocumented people in distress in the US-Mexico borderlands.

The agency responsible for causing these emergencies — the US Border Patrol — has positioned itself as the primary emergency responder.

Local law enforcement agencies transfer all emergency calls regarding people profiled as undocumented border-crossers directly to Border Patrol.

Our team reviewed 456 emergency cases referred to Border Patrol.

We found that in 63% of all cases, the agency did not conduct ANY confirmed search or rescue response at all.

In cases where Border Patrol *did* confirm a search or rescue mobilization, the agency’s efforts were seriously diminished when compared to county searches for citizens.

In the border region, emergency services are separate, unequal, and for many, simply nonexistent.

Additionally, Border Patrol often obstructs family & community search efforts by withholding information, providing false information, and harassing and criminalizing humanitarian and family search teams.

We found that Border Patrol was more than TWICE as likely to take part in directly CAUSING a person to go missing — through dangerous enforcement tactics like "chase and scatter" — than they were to participate in locating or rescuing anyone.

We know that ultimately, the only solution to this crisis is a transformative one — demilitarize the border, decriminalize migration, defund and dismantle Border Patrol, and address the root causes of migration.

Left To Die: Border Patrol, Search & Rescue and the Crisis of Disappearance is out now.

Read the executive summary in the images below.
(or here: https://rb.gy/uzelc1 )

And the full report at http://thedisappearedreport.org