No More Deaths (NMD), also known by the Spanish “No Mas Muertes,” is an immigration advocacy group founded in 2004 to protect illegal immigrants facing life and death struggles crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. In 2008, it became an official ministry of the left-of-center Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson. ¹

It has advocated for considering international migration a “human right,”² freeing all illegal immigrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers,³ defunding ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and paying reparations to the families of illegal immigrants allegedly “disappeared” or killed by the U.S. Border Patrol. No More Deaths calls for support of black immigration and liberation organizations like black transgender groups and the Movement for Black Lives to combat so-called white supremacist police institutions. ⁴

Background

No More Deaths formed to join a growing movement of humanitarian agencies responding to a Clinton administration immigration program known as of “Prevention Through Deterrence.” The program increased security at high-traffic border areas, forcing illegal immigrants to traverse less-patrolled desert regions; No More Deaths charges that the changes in migration patterns resulted in thousands of deaths due the arduous conditions. No More Deaths volunteers hike into the desert leaving water bottles, blankets, food, and other supplies for the illegal immigrants. It built a camp with beds and provisions known as the “Barn.” ⁵ NMD offers legal services to illegal immigrants facing deportation through a partner called Keep Tucson Together. ⁶

It produced several reports that accuses the Border Patrol of abuse and mistreatment of illegal immigrants. The report cites thousands of interviews of illegal immigrants in under three years illustrating over 30,000 cases in Arizona alone, ranging from the denial of medical treatment to physical assault. It concludes that despite Border Patrol denials, there is a systemic culture of violence and abuse that requires independent oversight. It further blames failed immigration, enforcement, and economic policies for causing the problems. ⁷

No More Deaths received the $100,000 cash prize ALBA/Puffin Award in 2020 for its efforts to help those crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) and the Puffin Foundation honor the anti-fascism efforts of Americans that volunteered to fight on the Communist side in the Spanish Civil War against the faction of future Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. ⁸ Previous award recipients include the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, left-wing journalist Jeremy Scahi, and the left-of-center United We Dream. ⁹

Political Activism

Law Enforcement Defunding

No More Deaths joins the Black liberation movement in opposing law enforcement organizations that allegedly all share a white supremacist viewpoint. NMD views law enforcement as the frontline administers of a xenophobic and racist militarization of the nation. No More Deaths alleges the deportation of illegal immigrants will extend to African Americans. It links the ICE detention centers to the national prison and court system as emblematic of a slavery and racism movement against minorities. ¹⁰

No More Deaths sees the problematic issues with Border Patrol as too instilled in the nation’s fabric for mere reform. The group has expressed the views that dismantling and defunding are the only options for all United States’ law enforcement; that communities that law enforcement allegedly “terrorized for centuries” should receive reparations; and that only after abolition of police can people build a new society free of the foundations of police brutality and murder. ¹¹ NMD sought human rights investigations of border patrol by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights and the United Nations. ¹²

No More Deaths blames Immigration and Customs Enforcement for spreading COVID-19 through the immigration community by not properly equipping prisoners with gloves, masks, testing and soap. It equates ICE detention with a death sentence. ¹³

No Border Wall

No More Deaths believes that international migration is a human right that privileged Americans must acknowledge, and the U.S. government preserve. It opposes the construction of any border wall and has argued its construction would create a human and environmental disaster and states the wall is evil and not symbolic of security and safety. ¹⁴ An anonymous No More Deaths activist wrote a book called, No Wall They Can Build, which claims that immigration healing will happen if Border Patrol personnel go home. ¹⁵

Trump Administration

No More Deaths claims that the Trump Administration’s policies that required illegal immigrants wait for asylum hearings south of the border through the “Remain in Mexico” program were cruel. The organization described the administration’s COVID-19 policies as an excuse to postpone, cancel, and request asylum hearings. It complains that returning illegal immigrants to Mexico leaves them nowhere to go. ¹⁶

Path to Citizenship

No More Deaths seeks a path to citizenship for all illegal immigrants in the United States. ¹⁷

Trade Policies

No More Deaths believes that resolution of inequitable economic systems between the United States and countries south of the Rio Grande must happen to alleviate immigration challenges. It claims trade agreements and foreign aid policies based upon alleged disrespect and avarice create economic malaise in Latin American countries resulting in a refugee migration north. It believes the solution is American-sponsored public and private investment and incentives to repair the Latin American environment and economies. ¹⁸

Israel

No More Deaths accused the state of Israel as using military tactics against civilians like the United States. It further indicts Israel for its involvement in U.S. border protection and its partnership with Raytheon as indicative of war profiteering.  The organization endorsed the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. ¹⁹

History and Leadership

John Fife launched No More Deaths. Federal prosecutors describe him as the mastermind of the now national “Sanctuary Movement.” ²⁰ By declaring his church, and joining with five others, as sanctuary churches for illegal immigrants, John Fife was instrumental in the creation of the Sanctuary Movement, modeled after the slavery era underground railroad. In so doing, he acknowledged violation of federal law, describing it as immoral and illegal. Fife sought to reverse immigration policy towards Central American asylum seekers and claimed victory with the 1991 ABC Agreement. He views sanctuary cities, counties, and states that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities as the new frontline of the sanctuary movement. ²¹

Fife’s career of aiding refugees and immigrants began in 1982 amid civil conflicts in Central America. Fife and others were arrested and convicted on alien smuggling charges after being the subject of an undercover investigation. He received a sentence of five years’ probation. ²²

No More Deaths is the latest Fife creation that pursues what he describes as “civil initiative.” Humane Borders came first in 2000, then the Samaritans, then No More Deaths that all aim to correct alleged government policy gaps through independent service. Fife sees No More Deaths as the most aggressive against purported Border Patrol rights violations. ²³

Controversy

United States Border Patrol has arrested No More Deaths activists close to 40 times for a variety of violations. The crimes range from human smuggling-related felony charges,²⁴ to illegally operating a motor vehicle in a designated wilderness area, to abandonment of property. ²⁵ As of 2020, activists had defeated all charges. ²⁶

Partners

No More Deaths’ partners include left-of-center groups like Pueblos Sin Fronteras, an illegal immigration advocacy organization; Mariposas Sin Fronteras; People Helping People; Border Angels; SOA Watch; the Protection Network Action Fund; Humane Borders; the Southside Workers Center; Tucson Samaritans; South Texas Human Rights Center; and Armadillos del Desierto. ²⁷

The Kino Border Initiative (KBI) is allied with No More Deaths and initiated the SAVE ASYLUM campaign. No More Deaths funds KBI to help with illegal immigrant transportation and medical care. ²⁸

1. Stanley-Becker, Isaac. “An Activist Faced 20 Years in Prison for Helping Migrants. But Jurors Wouldn’t Convict Him.” The Washington Post. WP Company, June 19, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/12/scott-warren-year-sentence-hung-jury-aiding-migrants/.
2. No More Deaths. NMD_FW2019_Newsletter. Tuscon, AZ: No More Deaths, 2019. https://nomoredeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NMD_FW2019_Newsletter-1.pdf.  
3. “No More Deaths Emergency COVID-19 Bond Fund, Organized by No More Deaths No Más Muertes.” gofundme.com, 2020. https://www.gofundme.com/f/bond-funds-for-az-immigration-detainees.
4. Corich-Kleim, Paige. “No Migrant Justice without Black Liberation: A Statement in…” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, June 18, 2020. https://nomoredeaths.org/no-migrant-justice-without-black-liberation-a-statement-in-solidarity-with-black-uprisings/.  
5. Armus, Teo. “After Helping Migrants in the Arizona Desert, an Activist Was Charged with a Felony. Now, He’s Been Acquitted.” The Washington Post. WP Company, November 21, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/11/21/arizona-activist-scott-warren-acquitted-charges-helping-migrants-cross-border/.
6. Admin. “About No More Deaths.” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, May 13, 2020. https://nomoredeaths.org/about-no-more-deaths/.  
7. A Culture of Cruelty. Tuscon, AZ: No More Deaths, 2011. https://nomoredeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ExecSummFinal.pdf.
8. Valdes, Francisco. “NMD Wins ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activis.” Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, 2019. https://www.uuctucson.org/106-no-more-deaths/no-more-deaths/4583-nmd-winds-alba-puffin-award-for-human-rights-activis.html.   
9. “2020 No More Deaths.” The Puffin Foundation. Accessed December 18, 2020. https://www.puffinfoundation.org/puffin-alba-human-rights-award/.  
10. O’Brien, Matt, J Tipton, Yahn Ulma, and Junnaid Javed. “Border Patrol Leaders: Stop Throwing Agents Under the Bus!” ImmigrationReform.com, December 28, 2018. https://www.immigrationreform.com/2018/01/23/border-patrol-leaders-stop-throwing-agents-bus/.    
11. Corich-Kleim, Paige. “No Migrant Justice without Black Liberation: A Statement in…” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, June 18, 2020. https://nomoredeaths.org/no-migrant-justice-without-black-liberation-a-statement-in-solidarity-with-black-uprisings/.
12. O’Brien, Matt, J Tipton, Yahn Ulma, and Junnaid Javed. “Border Patrol Leaders: Stop Throwing Agents Under the Bus!” ImmigrationReform.com, December 28, 2018. https://www.immigrationreform.com/2018/01/23/border-patrol-leaders-stop-throwing-agents-bus/.
13. Corich-Kleim, Paige. “Facing Death in Detention.” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, June 10, 2020. https://nomoredeaths.org/facing-death-in-detention-2/.
14. No More Deaths. NMD_FW2019_Newsletter. Tuscon, AZ: No More Deaths, 2019. https://nomoredeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NMD_FW2019_Newsletter-1.pdf.  
15. Washington, John. “What Would an Open-Borders World Actually Look Like?” The Nation, April 25, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/open-borders-immigration-asylum-refugees/.
16. No More Deaths. No More Deaths Fall/Winter 2020. Tuscon, AZ: No More Deaths, 2020. https://nomoredeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NMD_Fall2020.pdf.   
17. Admin. “Faith-Based Principles for Immigration Reform.” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, August 31, 2014. https://nomoredeaths.org/about-no-more-deaths/faith-based-principles-for-immigration-reform/.
18. Admin. “Faith-Based Principles for Immigration Reform.” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, August 31, 2014. https://nomoredeaths.org/about-no-more-deaths/faith-based-principles-for-immigration-reform/.  
19. Admin. “Statement on Gaza.” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, August 31, 2014. https://nomoredeaths.org/statement-on-gaza/.  
20. Devereaux, Ryan. “Scott Warren Worked to Prevent Migrant Deaths in the Arizona Desert. The Government Wants Him in Prison.” The Intercept, May 4, 2019. https://theintercept.com/2019/05/04/no-more-deaths-scott-warren-migrants-border-arizona/.  
21. Hti. “Current Issue.” Perspectivas Online, June 13, 2019. https://perspectivasonline.com/downloads/sacred-resistance-the-sanctuary-movement-from-reagan-to-trump/.  
22. “No More Deaths: An Interview with John Fife.” Reflections, January 1, 1970. https://reflections.yale.edu/article/who-my-neighbor-facing-immigration/no-more-deaths-interview-john-fife.   
23. Devereaux, Ryan. “Scott Warren Worked to Prevent Migrant Deaths in the Arizona Desert. The Government Wants Him in Prison.” The Intercept, May 4, 2019. https://theintercept.com/2019/05/04/no-more-deaths-scott-warren-migrants-border-arizona/.  
24. Hopkins, Jason. “EXCLUSIVE: Amnesty International Accuses US Authorities Of ‘Harassment’ Against Immigration Rights Advocates.” The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, July 2, 2019. https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/01/amnesty-international-report-migrants/.
25. SHAW, JAZZ. “Convictions Reversed for People Aiding Illegal immigrants.” HotAir, February 4, 2020. https://hotair.com/archives/jazz-shaw/2020/02/04/convictions-reversed-people-aiding-illegal-aliens/  
26. [1] SHAW, JAZZ. “Convictions Reversed for People Aiding Illegal immigrants.” HotAir, February 4, 2020. https://hotair.com/archives/jazz-shaw/2020/02/04/convictions-reversed-people-aiding-illegal-aliens/. http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021518_no_more_deaths/court-proceedings-continue-after-arrests-no-more-deaths-volunteers/
27. Corich-Kleim, Paige. “Allied Organizations.” No More Deaths • No Más Muertes, May 13, 2020. https://nomoredeaths.org/allied-organizations/.
28. No More Deaths. No More Deaths Fall/Winter 2020. Tuscon, AZ: No More Deaths, 2020. https://nomoredeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NMD_Fall2020.pdf.