Posted on June 3, 2011

Activist Offers GPS ‘Life Preservers’ for Illegal Migrants Crossing US-Mexican Border

Lourdes Medrano, Christian Science Monitor, June 2, 2011

A human-rights activist is banking on technology and the good will of those who smuggle migrants across the US-Mexico border to save lives during Arizona’s searing summer.

The Rev. Robin Hoover is working to put GPS devices in the hands of smugglers, known as coyotes, so that they can alert search and rescue if trouble arises as they journey north with their human cargo through an unforgiving desert.

“It’s like giving a life preserver to somebody that’s using a boat,” the reverend says.

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“The best way to save lives is to discourage anyone from attempting the difficult trek in the first place,” he adds.

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So far Hoover has distributed five of the devices south of the border. Each costs about $225. He is convinced that the 100 devices he wants to give out, which he plans to buy with help from donations, will help people survive the rough condition they encounter in remote areas.

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