Border volunteers find 'gory' vandalism at water stations

Volunteers for Humane Borders found six of their water stations vandalized during a routine check Tuesday in an area near Arivaca.

One of the stations, at Cemetery Hill, had been shot, and a dead coyote was placed near the water tank, volunteers said.

“It was gory and premeditated,” said Juanita Molina, executive director of Humane Borders and the Border Action Network. “Somebody had to put some thought into the message they were sending there.”

Vandalism typically consists of stolen spigots, water drained from the 65-gallon barrels or bent flags, which signal to people where the water stations are located, Molina said.

“The reality is that we’ve become accustomed to a certain amount of vandalism happening every day,” she said. “But this time it was different.”

Joel Smith, Humane Borders director of operations, has been visiting water stations since 2009 and said he has never seen this type of vandalism.

“I was horrified. Dumping dead animal carcasses and using bullets isn’t normal,” said Smith, who found the dead coyote next to the barrel. “This is beyond expressing opinions.”

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Humane Borders volunteers said they have seen an increase in militia activity in remote areas in Southern Arizona in recent months and reported the incident to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the Border Patrol.

But the sheriff’s department, who confirmed receiving the report, had no information about increased militia presence in the area. Border Patrol did not respond to requests for comment.

Because these stations are placed in remote areas, Molina said, there are few people nearby, making it difficult to know who was involved.

Humane Borders provides humanitarian aid, food and water to people attempting to illegally cross the border between Mexico and Southern Arizona on foot. They are also involved in educating immigrants about the hazards they might face crossing the desert. The group has 48 water stations scattered throughout Southern Arizona and in Nogales and Sasabe in Sonora, Mexico.

Water stations are targeted because some people aren’t happy about immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border, Molina said, while others are annoyed or feel unauthorized immigrants take resources from the community.

Humane Borders plans to continue placing water at the sites, though Molina says they will be more vigilant.