Oct 30, 2020
A discussion with Eduardo “Eddie” Canales, founder and
director of the South Texas Human Rights Center in Falfurrias,
Texas.
Falfurrias is in Brooks County, an area of ranchland 80 miles
north of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is also one of the deadliest
places for migrants. Dozens each year get lost while trying to walk
around checkpoints that Border Patrol has placed on highways, and
end up dying of dehydration and exposure in the south Texas
heat.
The South Texas Human Rights Center works to prevent this,
putting out dozens of water and aid stations. This involves
negotiations and relationship-building with ranchers in an area
where most land is private property.
It also involves cooperating with efforts to identify the
remains and alert relatives in the deceased migrants’ home
countries. Many times a year Eddie, and the technicians with whom
he cooperates, help give some closure to parents, spouses, and
children who don’t know what happened to a loved one who
disappeared after emigrating to the United States. Doing that
is expensive—it involves DNA sampling, forensic expertise, and
maintenance of databases—and funds are insufficient. Too often,
resource-poor counties like Brooks have had to bear much
of the cost.
The remains of at least 7,500 people have been found near the
border, on U.S. soil, since 2000. And the crisis may be getting
worse. The pandemic economy is leading more single adults to
try to cross into the United States. Most of them are seeking to
avoid being apprehended. Trying not to be apprehended means
going through places like Brooks County, or deserts elsewhere
along the border. Just this week, media in Arizona are
reporting the largest number of migrant remains since 2013.
And the year isn’t over. The work of humanitarian workers and
advocates like Eddie Canales is more important than ever. Join the
Beyond the Wall
campaign now to learn more.