Border Action Network (BAN) is a non-governmental organization formed in 1999, and it works with residents of Arizona- Mexico border and Latino immigrants to ensure immigrants rights are protected, their dignity is respected and the places they live in are healthy.

The group is membership based and combines litigation and action, community organizing and the development of leaders to achieve its objectives. The group protects the civil and human rights of people affected by the immigration and border policies.

The organization that was formally named Southwest Alliance to Resist Militarization was later named BAN in 2002. Its focus is on border residents of Douglas, Arizona, Nogales, and Tucson. The group advocates for dissolution of the American borders and the unregulated and unchecked entry of migrants in and out of the US. Read more: Jim Larkin | Twitter

This notion is founded on the argument that invaders from Europe wrongfully conquered the Central, South and North America and thus the United States is not a legitimate entity that has any right to impose restrictions on immigrants or delineate borders for them.

According to BAN, hundreds of illegal immigrants have died and others have seen their rights violated due to the border policies set up by the current US government.

According to the movement, border patrol agents are known to shoot and intimidate Mexican immigrants who throw rocks at them in self-defense. This has seen many deaths in the US Mexican borders.

The Hispanics and Mexicans who live along the border have witnessed legal residents, citizens and undocumented people being denied their rights. They have also been intimidated, harassed, asked unnecessary questions and their lives have been endangered on numerous occasions.

The Network’s Great Work

The organization has filed various lawsuits against a movement of armed militia style groups of civilians and white supremacist groups that are anti-immigrant which include Ranch Rescue and American border Patrol due to their ways of detaining aliens and calling the border agents so that these aliens can be arrested.

According to the movement, the aliens have human rights and civil rights that are more important than defending the country.

In 2002, BAN ran a successful campaign that saw the construction of four private federal prisons for immigrants halted in California and Arizona. In 2004 the movement started an initiative that collected thousands of postcards to promote the legalization of illegal immigrants who were residents of the United States.

The movement has been involved in several other successful campaigns that have seen the protection of immigrants human and civil rights.

The Two Selfless Journalists Behind The Lacey And Larkin Frontera Fund

Lacey and Larkin Frontera fund is a fund set up to support groups such as BAN that advocates for human, civil migrants rights and civic participation and freedom of speech in Arizona and the Mexican border.

The fund was set up by Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey who are the founders of Village Voice Media and Phoenix New Times from their court settlement money. The two won a case against Maricopa County after the county sheriff Joe Arpaio gave orders for their arrest.

The two journalist’s crime was the revealing of the existence of proceedings from the grand jury that were seeking for reporters’ notes on articles that were written on the sheriff. Additionally, the subpoenas attempted to know the identity of citizens who read the online stories of the sheriff from the newspapers.

The two sued the county by the breach of the first amendment rights and won through a historic verdict given by the US Court of Appeals.

They were awarded $3.75 million settlement money. Lacey and Larkin decided to form the Lacey and Larkin Frontera Fund donating the settlement money to support groups advocating for immigrants civil and human rights.

Learn more about Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey:

5 Smart Ways People and Places are Resisting Trump’s Immigration Policies

About Lacey and Larkin Frontera Fund

Leave a Reply