Group holds vigil for migrant shot, killed by Border Patrol agent

A woman holding a white cross writes the name Carmelo Cruz Marcos on it in black Sharpie.

She sets it in the dirt next to the other two crosses of migrants whose remains were found in the borderlands of Cochise County the week before. Cars pass by, heading through the port of entry into Mexico, mostly not noticing the small group and the cart full of arm’s-length crosses.

Cruz was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent who was trying to arrest him in the remote desert about 30 miles northeast of Douglas on Feb. 19.

The agent said Cruz had thrown a punch and struck him during a struggle and was about to hurl a large rock, and that he feared for his life when he shot Cruz multiple times, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said. The agent’s name was not released.

Cruz was shot in the face, chest and abdomen, according to the autopsy report.

The binational ministry Frontera de Cristo based in Douglas and Agua Prieta, Sonora, has held the Healing Our Borders Prayers Vigil in Douglas every Tuesday evening since Dec. 10, 2000, to remember those who died while crossing through the desert in Cochise County. They started with 16 crosses. Cruz’s cross was number 351.

Over the past 20 years, the remains of more than 3,900 migrants have been found in Southern Arizona.

While many die from the dangerous journey, much less common are crosses in honor of migrants killed by border agents.

Since fiscal year 2019 to January of this year, there have been 2,260 incidents where a Border Patrol agent used force, of which 40 involved a firearm, according to Customs and Border Protection data, which does not include the number of deaths that resulted from force.

The vigil on Tuesday included a special recognition for Cruz, a 32-year-old husband and father of three from Puebla, Mexico, who had a Buddha and a flower tattoo on his upper right arm.

Healing Our Borders, Douglas, 2022 — Participants in the Healing Our Borders prayer vigil in Douglas, Arizona, gather Tuesday to begin the procession toward the border in honor of migrants who died in the desert of Cochise County.
Danyelle Khmara, Arizona Daily Star

The group of 17 participating started across from the intersection of a Carl’s Jr. and a McDonalds, next to a drainage pipe where six migrants drowned while trying to enter the U.S. in 1997. They walked toward the border, filing along the line of cars slowly heading into Mexico.

Mark Adams pulled the cart of crosses as participants picked up one at a time. They read the name on the cross and the others yelled out “presente” in unison. Many of the crosses just read “desconocido,” representing the many unidentified remains found in the Arizona desert.

By the port of entry, the group formed a circle and asked for a moment of silence and prayer for Cruz and the other two migrants whose names were added to the dead.

Cruz’s mother, in Puebla, and sister, in Phoenix, were there virtually, watching over the phone as the group prayed for their loved one.

“I want justice,” said Cruz’s mother through tears. “My heart hurts for what they did to my son. My grandchildren are suffering. My son was going to seek a better life for his children.”

For Adams, who serves with Frontera de Cristo and has been participating in the vigils since the start, justice has a broader meaning that includes finding a way to end the human tragedy of so many dying in the desert. He hopes to see policy changes that allow for more legal immigration.

“The realities of immigration and the way we’ve responded don’t facilitate understanding between nations,” he said. “We’ve made a death sentence for some to go and do drywall or pick our fruit or work on our golf courses.”

Participating in the vigil is a spiritual discipline, Adams said.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into Cruz’s death. The incident is also under review by the U.S. Border and Customs Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, a process that often takes an extended period of time.

The Consulate of Mexico in Douglas is covering the costs of sending Cruz’s body home to his mother, wife and children, who are between the ages of 1 and 9.

The office has been in daily contact with Cruz’s sister, who lives in Phoenix, on a daily basis, said Deputy Consul Ivannia Calcáneo Hernández.

They’ve advised her to wait for the results of the investigation and that they are in touch with lawyers who will work with the family pro bono. Exactly what lawyers would help the family with depends on the results of the investigation, Calcáneo said, adding that they expect results in the next week or two.