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| The highly publicized federal case against humanitarian aid worker Scott Warren, who was accused of helping migrants at the US-Mexico border, ended in a mistrial on June 11. Warren, a volunteer with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport and two counts of harboring undocumented immigrants following a 2018 arrest. He was facing up to 20 years in prison. —“The Trump Administration Is Trying to Use the Scott Warren Case to Scare Activists. It’s Not Working,” Mother Jones, June 15, 2019. Photo: Scott Warren (center) speaks after his high-profile court case ends in a mistrial. Astrid Galvan/AP via Mother Jones. |
for Scott Warren on World Refugee Day
Banks of snow in early June with overflowing
rivers is a story of destruction and
becoming; chunks of water borne earth
still sprouting grass and flower buds
in the middle of the fast moving
river, and then on the banks, roots
of dead trees braid the rocks
together, and higher up the glow
of blue gentians rising from
the cold earth, tiny sparks
of light that always appear,
like the desert in Arizona where
migrants trek, dehydrated,
famished and terrified, fleeing
criminal gangs, drought, and
then border guards, only to find
a hand reaching out to give them
food, water and shelter where
they can rest for a few days,
find hope in their inner selves,
and continue on their arduous journey,
guided through the darkness
of hate, and divisiveness
by sparks of light.
Marguerite Guzman Bouvard is the author of 11 poetry books, two of which have won awards and non-fiction books on social justice and human rights. She teaches online at Archipel U. in Haiti.