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US border patrol was accused of vandalizing food and water left for migrants

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US border patrol was accused of  vandalizing food and water left for migrants
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US border patrol was accused of vandalizing food and water left for migrants

2018-01-19 15:31 Last Updated At:16:20

Two humanitarian groups reported that the patrol destroyed water and food left for the dying and thirsty immigrants who just risked lives through the desert. 

United States border patrol agents regularly destroy water and food supplies left in the Arizona desert for immigrants, worsening the living situation for those people who often died of thirst in baking temperatures, according to two humanitarian groups.

The agent is kicking to destroy water supply.

The agent is kicking to destroy water supply.

The two groups No More Deaths and La Coalición de Derechos Humanos released a report, revealing that water gallons have been sabotaged 415 times, on average twice a week, on average twice a week, along with the trail of the immigration in the desert, from March 2012 to December 2015. 

The report said wildlife, hunters, hikers and other groups also damaged aid drops but it said the main damages are from border patrol.

The report said: 'Through statistical analysis, video evidence, and personal experience, our team has uncovered a disturbing reality. In the majority of cases, US border patrol agents are responsible for the widespread interference with essential humanitarian efforts.'

The report added that: 'The practice of destruction of and interference with aid is not the deviant behavior of a few rogue border patrol agents, it is a systemic feature of enforcement practices in the borderlands.'

FILE - This Oct. 26, 2017 file photo shows prototypes of border walls in San Diego. The Trump administration has proposed spending $18 billion over 10 years to significantly extend the border wall with Mexico. The plan provides one of the most detailed blueprints of how the president hopes to carry out a signature campaign pledge. (AP Photo/Elliott Spagat, File)

FILE - This Oct. 26, 2017 file photo shows prototypes of border walls in San Diego. The Trump administration has proposed spending $18 billion over 10 years to significantly extend the border wall with Mexico. The plan provides one of the most detailed blueprints of how the president hopes to carry out a signature campaign pledge. (AP Photo/Elliott Spagat, File)

 The damage has affected 3,586 gallons. What does that mean? 

Border crossers should drink between five to 12 litres of water daily, but few manage to carry more than seven litres through a journey which can last several days or even weeks.

Over the last two decades, some 7,000 human remains have been recovered from the U.S. borderlands. In Pima County alone, hundreds of migrants die each year making the crossing. 

FILE - In this June 22, 2016 file photo, a Border Patrol agent walks along a border structure in San Diego, Calif. The Trump administration has proposed spending $18 billion over 10 years to significantly extend the border wall with Mexico. The plan provides one of the most detailed blueprints of how the president hopes to carry out a signature campaign pledge. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE - In this June 22, 2016 file photo, a Border Patrol agent walks along a border structure in San Diego, Calif. The Trump administration has proposed spending $18 billion over 10 years to significantly extend the border wall with Mexico. The plan provides one of the most detailed blueprints of how the president hopes to carry out a signature campaign pledge. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

 Although the spokesman of the patrol agent insisted 'We don’t want to see anyone out there die.' But a former agent admitted to the two humanitarian groups that destroying water supplies was a way to make migrants weaker and easier to find. 

One former Border Patrol agent told the groups: 'I also remember that the logic behind that, the logic that was imparted to us with that action, was that you stomp on their water, and ransack their food cache, in order to expedite their apprehension.'

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Search for US student in Dominican Republic intensifies

2025-03-18 05:58 Last Updated At:06:01

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (AP) — The search for a U.S. college student who went missing in the Dominican Republic intensified on Monday, one day after a man questioned by authorities visited the beach where she was last seen and spoke with officials.

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old student at the University of Pittsburgh and an Indian citizen, vanished before dawn on March 6 in the resort town of Punta Cana. Authorities are scouring waters in case she drowned.

Minnesota student Joshua Riibe has not been named as a suspect but has been detained by Dominican police and is believed to be the last person to see Konanki. On Sunday, he and his attorney met with officials on the beach.

On Monday, Riibe's attorney officially requested his release. A judge is expected to issue a ruling on Tuesday, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.

According to the transcript of an interview with prosecutors, reported by Dominican media as well as NBC and Telemundo, Riibe told police he was drinking with Konanki on the beach and they were kissing in waist-deep water when they were pulled out to sea by a strong tide. Riibe said he was a former lifeguard and swam her into shore.

He told investigators he vomited upon reaching the beach and that Konanki said she was going to fetch her things. When he looked up, she was gone. He said he was later surprised to hear of her disappearance.

Riibe’s parents have accused Dominican officials of detaining him “under irregular conditions” without translators or legal counsel, saying he has been confined to a hotel room with police surveillance for more than a week.

They said Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud University, has been repeatedly taken to the police station and interrogated, adding that he has “fully cooperated” with police.

The statement on Friday by Albert and Tine Riibe provided no details about Konanki’s disappearance or their son’s connection to her. His parents said the family has retained a lawyer to ensure his rights are protected.

Dominican public prosecutors have not responded to the statement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating Konanki’s disappearance.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a university student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, March. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)

Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a university student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, March. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)

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