Rep. Grijalva Condemns Illegal Border Patrol Raid in Southern Arizona on House Floor: “Humanitarian Aid Is Not a Crime”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, Congresswoman Adelita S. Grijalva took to the House floor to condemn a recent raid by Border Patrol of a humanitarian aid site operated by the non-profit, No More Deaths. According to reports, the agents entered the site without a warrant, taking three immigrants into custody. The site provides water and first aid to migrants crossing through the desert – an estimated 4,425 of which have perished in the Arizona desert since 2000.  

Her full remarks are copied below and can be viewed here:

Since the beginning of his second term, Donald Trump has directed an enforcement machine that is not only cruel but unconstitutional – targeting long-time residents, law-abiding visa holders, even U.S. citizens, and even veterans who have fought for this country. In border communities like those I represent in Arizona’s Seventh District, we see the impact of these abuses every single day. We have seen border patrol waiting outside hospitals, literally arresting women after they have given birth. No due process, no regard for human rights.

Last week, we saw a disturbing example near the ranching community of Arivaca. Humanitarian volunteers with No More Deaths reported that Border Patrol agents forced their way into their desert aid station, known as Byrd Camp, without a warrant, and arrested three migrants who were resting inside a trailer. Volunteers told agents they could not enter without a warrant. Agents left, then returned claiming they were in hot pursuit, even though there was no chase, no threat, and no legal justification that would allow entering a protected structure.

This camp has existed for decades to keep people from dying in the desert – more than 4,400 men, women, and children have died crossing the border in Arizona since 2000. The camp has been raided before, but previously with a warrant. What happened on November 23 was different. It was lawless, intentional, and part of a broader pattern of unchecked enforcement that treats border communities as if the Constitution does not apply.

Let me say this clearly! The Fourth Amendment DOES NOT disappear in southern Arizona. Due process does not disappear because someone is a migrant. And humanitarian aid is not a crime.