Left to Die: Deterrence, Death, and Rescue in the Borderlands

The story of a harrowing, multiday rescue of a stranded Guatemalan man in the frigid February Arizona desert that raises serious questions about the Border Patrol's search and rescue unit.

“This a picture of the landscape. It’s daunting how solo it is. This is the exact wash/canyon we had to hike up to get to Martín.” Taylor Leigh (Photo credit: Taylor Leigh)

On February 16, a Guatemalan family contacted groups in southern Arizona about one of their family members who was lost in the Sonoran Desert after he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. …