Rafael Larraenza’s cellphone rings 60 to 80 times a day. The calls come from desperate relatives of migrants who’ve gotten lost in the desert.
They give him whatever vague information they have about their family member’s last known whereabouts, and ask if there’s anything he can do.
Larraenza takes down the information, packs a bag and heads into the desert. He spends days wandering around on foot, looking for clues, calling out people’s names. Sometimes, he finds them. Sometimes they’re dead by the time he arrives. More often, he doesn’t find anything. But he always answers the phone.
Larraenza runs an organization called Desert Angel — though the organization is primarily him. He’s been doing this work for decades, in spite of the long odds and the punishing toll it’s taken on his body.
Larraenza was recently the subject of a documentary — also called “Desert Angel” — by filmmaker Vincent DeLuca. The Show spoke with DeLuca and Larraenza, who was assisted by an interpreter for the conversation.
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The Arizona Department of Homeland Security accuses the federal government of hindering its ability to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks, securing the border and other capabilities. -
The Tucson Baseball Team was scheduled to host its fifth home series game at Tucson’s Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium starting Nov. 18. But the team says it’ll be playing those games in Mexicali, Mexico, instead amid ongoing issues getting U.S. visas. -
The federal magistrate judge on the case had granted the Department of Homeland Security to pause the challenge by the Center for Biological Security, citing the government shutdown. -
The Trump administration cut most of the federal funding for a program providing free legal counsel to unaccompanied immigrant children who are seeking asylum in the U.S. The money was restored under court order, but attorneys say the lapse sent organizations into a tailspin that’s still playing out today. -
Trump administration foreign aid cuts are pinching Mexico’s already overburdened asylum process. That means long wait times for refugees who, barred from entering the United States, are turning to Mexico for safety.
