Amid a surge in vandalism of Humane Borders’ life-saving water barrels in Arizona’s borderlands, volunteers with the humanitarian group said they encountered a new situation on Tuesday: an apparent vigilante disguised as a wounded migrant from the Middle East. Witnesses say the man later tried to empty the group’s water barrel and aggressively filmed volunteers and visiting high schoolers, blocking their vehicle as they tried to leave the water station.
Kirk Astroth, a long-time volunteer with Humane Borders, called the incident “the weirdest experience I have ever had volunteering” with the group.
Astroth was checking Tuesday on Humane Borders’ water station near Highway 286, one of 45 water sites the nonprofit has set up in Southern Arizona to aid anyone in need, including migrants.
Astroth, accompanied by a group of 15 high school students visiting from Colorado, noticed a man crouched in the bushes, dressed in camouflage, with a hoodie covering his head and a black mask on, Astroth said.
Humane Borders volunteers on Tuesday encountered a man disguised as a migrant in distress, who later attempted to drain the humanitarian group’s life-saving water barrel near Highway 286. He also blocked a mini-school bus carrying visiting high schoolers from Colorado, while filming on his camera phone. Volunteers reported the incident to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
The man was also wearing “carpet shoes,” which migrants seeking to evade detection often use to avoid leaving footprints. The man waved at the group and indicated he didn’t speak Spanish, but “Kazak,” the language of Kazakhstan, Astroth said.
The volunteers offered him food and water, which he drank as if he were extremely thirsty, and he was walking with a limp, Astroth said. The man seemed to want the group to transport him, which in retrospect Astroth said could have been an attempt to record volunteers committing a crime.
As the group attempted to leave, the man blocked the mini-school bus transporting the students, and began filming on his phone. He then returned to the water barrel and opened the spigot to drain it.
Astroth, in a separate vehicle, told the school bus to return to Tucson, and returned to check out a nearby vehicle he suspected belonged to the man. Astroth was snapping photos of the gray camper van, and its Massachusetts license plate, when the man, no longer in disguise, emerged from the bushes with his camera phone in hand. He started yelling and ran at Astroth, who said he quickly drove away.
Humane Borders reported the incident to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, sharing the license plate number and photos of the man at the water barrel. The dispatcher searched the plates and told Astroth the vehicle owner had a criminal record, he said.
Since the November presidential election, amid the anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s characterized the Trump administration, Humane Borders has seen a surge in vandalism, which tends to come in waves, said long-time volunteer Kirk Astroth.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said deputies are investigating the incident and seeking to locate the vehicle’s registered owner.
“I’m saddened that someone sees the need to vandalize equipment or property that really is there just to help keep somebody alive,” Nanos said. “We don’t tolerate vigilantes. It’s that simple.”
Since the November presidential election, amid the anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s characterized the Trump administration, Humane Borders has seen a surge in such incidents, which tend to come in waves, Astroth said.
“Ever since the election, there’s more vigilantes and militia out in the desert than there are migrants,” he said. “The number of water stations being vandalized is extreme now. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen in 11 years.”
Humane Borders and the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office have recorded more than 4,300 migrant deaths in the Southern Arizona borderlands, which are logged in an interactive map and database.
The group works to reduce deaths from dehydration by establishing and monitoring a series of water stations, which draw the ire of anti-immigrant vandals.
Out-of-state vandals and vigilantes represent “the real invasion of our southern border,” said Laurie Cantillo, board chair and water truck driver for Humane Borders.
“It’s people who don’t live here, who don’t understand the culture of the border and who want to break laws and cause trouble. Many of them have criminal records themselves,” she said.
Vandals have drained, shot and stabbed the group’s water barrels, or removed the spigots to prevent access to water. Some have also written “poisonous” in Spanish on the barrels — which volunteers regularly clean and replace — or knocked over the tall blue flags marking the water stations.
Vigilantes have also harassed, filmed and detained migrants in the borderlands, including children, volunteers say.
But migrant arrival numbers have plummeted since reaching all-time highs in late 2023, giving live-streamers little to show their followers on social media.
“There’s very few people crossing, so the usual opportunities to make mischief aren’t there,” Cantillo said. “Frankly, I’d rather them go after a barrel than harass and injure a migrant.”
Humane Borders has now installed game cameras around each of its water stations to help identify vandals, volunteers say.
“We’re going to catch these guys,” Cantillo said. “Now we’re getting more strategic about camera placement. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office has been fantastic. ... They’re taking it seriously.”
Law enforcement has told Cantillo that repeat offenders who vandalize Humane Borders’ property can be charged with a felony.
Nanos has met numerous times with border-region humanitarian volunteers to discuss their concerns about rising harassment, threats and vandalism from vigilantes, who are sometimes heavily armed when confronting the volunteers.
Right-wing vigilantes, militia members and social-media personalities have also targeted volunteers with humanitarian groups such as the Tucson Samaritans, falsely accusing them of being smugglers in league with “the cartel.”
On March 9, conservative activist and live-streamer Anthony Agüero — an El Paso native and son of Mexican immigrants, according to The Atlantic — filmed himself draining a Humane Borders water barrel, posting the video to his account on X, formerly Twitter.
Agüero did not respond to the Star’s requests for comment, sent to his Telegram and Instagram accounts, which both showed Agüero had viewed the Star’s messages.
Humane Borders water stations are for the benefit of all, Cantillo emphasized, including hikers, hunters and wildlife, as well as vigilantes who find themselves in a difficult situation.
“It’s even for people who disagree with our mission, because if you break down out there, that water could mean the difference between life or death for you,” she said. “Take what you need, but leave the rest for everyone else.”
