Shining a light on migrant program’s “fatal flaw”

For the September 2024 issue of High Country News, Homelands producer Bear Guerra photographed a cover story by Tanvi Misra about the US Border Patrol’s Missing Migrant Program. Border Patrol is mostly known for its primary mandate to detain and deport migrants, but it also has a responsibility — for which it receives significant federal funding — to rescue migrants in distress.

Critics see these intertwined missions as a conflict of interest, which often makes the journey for migrants even more perilous, especially across the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Produced in partnership with Type Investigations, this story explores the tension between the agency’s law enforcement and humanitarian roles, and how this plays out in real life in the borderlands.

Bear Guerra is the photo editor for High Country News. All photos below are his.