Water Station (organization)

Water Station is a charitable organization, founded in 2001 (23 years ago) (2001), that places water in remote locations throughout the Southern California desert where undocumented migrants are known to cross, in order to mitigate deaths that occur due to extreme heat exposure.[1] It started as a project by John Hunter, a San Diego resident, to place water jugs and flags in the deserts around El Centro, California.[2][3] The project later expanded to include additional volunteers maintaining hundreds of water stations.[4][5] By 2013 KPBS described the organization as "the largest, most organized and most consistent group leaving water for migrants in California's brutal Imperial Valley".[6] The charity operates primarily from April to October, and has permission from the Bureau of Land Management to place water and flags on public land.[7]

A Water Station water barrel and flag

See also

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  • No More Deaths, a group providing aid to migrants crossing desert areas in Arizona

References

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  1. ^ Ramos, Paco (October 30, 2017). "The Water Station: Saving lives in the desert". CBS 8. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  2. ^ Booth, William (July 1, 2001). "Desert Water Spots Mix Charity With Protest of U.S. Policies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  3. ^ Van Ham, Lane (2011). A Common Humanity: Ritual, Religion, and Immigrant Advocacy in Tucson, Arizona. University of Arizona Press. p. 63. ISBN 9780816529650.
  4. ^ Booth, William (June 11, 2001). "In the Desert, A Drink of Mercy, Protest". Washington Post. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Sifuentes, Edward (April 7, 2010). "Ten years later, Water Station work continues". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Florido, Adrian (October 9, 2013). "A Day In The Imperial Valley Helping Migrants Unseen". KPBS. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  7. ^ Catania, Sara (March 1, 2007). "On the Fence With John and Duncan Hunter". Mother Jones. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
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