[petition] Our son faces 20 years in prison for his humanitarian aid work

Drop all charges against Dr. Scott Warren that stem from his humanitarian aid work in the US-Mexico border region of Arizona. The U.S. attorney's office must cease prosecution of all humanitarian aid workers and allow them to provide life-saving aid without fear of government harassment and prosecution.

Dear fellow MoveOn member,

Our son Scott is facing three federal felony charges for offering humanitarian aid to two migrants in the southwest borderlands of the United States. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison—for trying to avert more preventable deaths in the Sonoran Desert. 

All charges against our son should be dropped. In addition, all charges should be dropped against anyone who is providing kindness and humanitarian aid to those who are traversing the harsh and remote terrain of the Sonoran Desert. 

Drop all charges against Dr. Scott Warren that stem from his humanitarian aid work in the US-Mexico border region of Arizona. The U.S. attorney's office must cease prosecution of all humanitarian aid workers and allow them to provide life-saving aid without fear of government harassment and prosecution.

Persons fleeing poverty, oppression, and violence in their home countries make the desperate decision to confront Arizona's western desert, one of the harshest landscapes on earth, in search of a better life. For many, the decision ends in a painful and lonely death in the remote reaches of the Sonoran Desert.

Click here to sign this petition demanding that the U.S. attorney's office drop all charges against Dr. Scott Warren.

No one deserves to die in the desert. And no one deserves to go to prison for trying to prevent those deaths. The work of Scott and other humanitarian aid volunteers to alleviate suffering should be upheld as a standard of virtue for all of us rather than be punished by threat of prison. Help us show the U.S. attorney's office that there is widespread support for humanitarian aid work and that prosecuting our son is both morally wrong and politically unpopular.

Scott's devotion to his humanitarian work consistently inspires us. We first realized the extent of his commitment when we saw—as his parents, felt—the pain he suffered upon encountering the bodies of migrants in the desert, and the deep sense of responsibility he feels to commemorate their journeys both as migrants and as human beings. That the U.S. attorney's office would seek to criminalize compassion and respect for human dignity is unconscionable.¹

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks for all you do.

-Pam and Mark Warren

Source: 

1. "Bodies in the Borderland," The Intercept, May 4, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/65337?t=11&akid=233563%2E10220574%2EVWfJI_

 

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