Students place water gallons at border wall hoping to save lives

Over 20 students from schools in Los Angeles and San Francisco placed water gallons at the Jacumba border area on Wednesday afternoon. They said it was to save lives.

Maggie Lettire said, “There are many people that cross the border each day and we want to make sure that they have the hydration. It can get very cold. It can get extremely hot. The desert is an unpredictable place.”

Lauren Wolf said, “When I put down one of the jugs, I felt something, like, this jug could possibly be the life-saving water for someone trying to come to America for a better life.”

Kimerly Ann Terrill added, “What we are doing here is going to touch somebody’s life at some point. And that’s important.”

The group’s excursion into the mountainous area was led by Calexico resident Hugo Castro, member of the non-profit group Border Angels, which gives legal and other assistance to the undocumented.

“The migrants are running away from death. It could be economic, or it could be direct violence,” Castro said.

Susan Cacique said some of her family members were undocumented at one time.

“I don’t really know the full story, but I know that it was a tough journey for them, for my aunts and uncles. So, knowing that I’m here and that I’m doing good things and I’m helping other people and that I’m paying back my parents for the sacrifices that they made for us,” Cacique said.

Other students gave various reasons for wanting to help the undocumented.

“We believe in loving our neighbor regardless of background or country of origin. People are people, human beings are human beings, so we want to help them out,” Lettire said.

“No matter how many people may be against them, I just want them to know that they’ll never ever be alone and that they’re always loved,” Wolf said.

“It’s an important thing because we’re all immigrants,” Terrell said.

Castro said he hopes their work prevents crossers from ending at a Holtville cemetery where over 600 of them lie unidentified and unclaimed.

“They can die and a gallon of water can mean the difference between life and death,” Castro said.