Overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions are common, and the police do not feed prisoners, who must rely on family members. Etienne, who had no family left in Haiti, had to rely on fellow prisoners for food. After a few days in prison, Etienne became ill from drinking the water, and despite her pleas and the pleas of other prisoners to get her medical attention, she was not transferred to a hospital until a few hours before her death. Hector Hugo Esquinca is the fourth INS employee to be charged with a felony in the past month and a half. The others are charged with sexual assault, computer fraud, and smuggling immigrants.
Water is provided in two one-gallon jugs marked by blue flags.
However, not everyone applauds the efforts. The US consul in Nogales worries that it will give migrants a false sense of security. It is already difficult to convey how dangerous crossing the desert is, and officials worry that the effort to provide water will undermine the campaign to stop undocumented border crossings. The Border Patrol says it will not interfere with the effort to provide water so long as it stays within the law. Providing water is not illegal, but providing transportation or shelter to an undocumented immigrant is.