While most college students are making plans for their Spring Break, a group of 20 students from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff helped pick up items left behind by migrants west of Yuma.
The students from professor Leah Mundell’s Global Migration and Human Rights class found items left behind after migrants presented themselves to U.S. Border Patrol agents. The items include passports, credit cards, foreign currency and more.
Student Angela Burmeister found a passport from China but other items surprised her.
“Seeing the children’s toys, pillows, toothbrushes… I started tearing up," Burmeister told KAWC. "It’s just so sad. These people already have so little and Border Patrol... is making these poor people that just want safety throw out basic hygiene materials. It’s devastating to see.”
The students spent several hours cleaning up along the border fence. They met with about 30 migrants in person later Thursday.