A woman holding a white cross writes the name Carmelo Cruz Marcos on it in black Sharpie.
She sets it in the dirt next to the other two crosses of migrants whose remains were found in the borderlands of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County the week before. Cars pass by, heading through the port of entry into Mexico, mostly not noticing the small group and the cart full of arm’s-length crosses.
Cruz was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent who was trying to arrest him in the remote desert about 30 miles northeast of Douglas on Feb. 19.
The agent said Cruz had thrown a punch and struck him during a struggle and was about to hurl a large rock, and that he feared for his life when he shot Cruz multiple times, the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County Sheriff’s Office said. The agent’s name was not released.
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Cruz was shot in the face, chest and abdomen, according to the autopsy report.
The binational ministry Frontera de Cristo based in Douglas and Agua Prieta, Sonora, has held the Healing Our Borders Prayers Vigil in Douglas every Tuesday evening since Dec. 10, 2000, to remember those who died while crossing through the desert in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County. They started with 16 crosses. Cruz’s cross was number 351.
Over the past 20 years, the remains of more than 3,900 migrants have been found in Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
While many die from the dangerous journey, much less common are crosses in honor of migrants killed by border agents.
Since fiscal year 2019 to January of this year, there have been 2,260 incidents where a Border Patrol agent used force, of which 40 involved a firearm, according to Customs and Border Protection data, which does not include the number of deaths that resulted from force.
The vigil on Tuesday included a special recognition for Cruz, a 32-year-old husband and father of three from Puebla, Mexico, who had a Buddha and a flower tattoo on his upper right arm.
Participants in the Healing Our Borders prayer vigil in Douglas, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, gather Tuesday to begin the procession toward the border in honor of migrants who died in the desert of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County.
The group of 17 participating started across from the intersection of a Carl’s Jr. and a McDonalds, next to a drainage pipe where six migrants drowned while trying to enter the U.S. in 1997. They walked toward the border, filing along the line of cars slowly heading into Mexico.
Mark Adams pulled the cart of crosses as participants picked up one at a time. They read the name on the cross and the others yelled out “presente†in unison. Many of the crosses just read “desconocido,†representing the many unidentified remains found in the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ desert.
By the port of entry, the group formed a circle and asked for a moment of silence and prayer for Cruz and the other two migrants whose names were added to the dead.
Cruz’s mother, in Puebla, and sister, in Phoenix, were there virtually, watching over the phone as the group prayed for their loved one.
“I want justice,†said Cruz’s mother through tears. “My heart hurts for what they did to my son. My grandchildren are suffering. My son was going to seek a better life for his children.â€
For Adams, who serves with Frontera de Cristo and has been participating in the vigils since the start, justice has a broader meaning that includes finding a way to end the human tragedy of so many dying in the desert. He hopes to see policy changes that allow for more legal immigration.
“The realities of immigration and the way we’ve responded don’t facilitate understanding between nations,†he said. “We’ve made a death sentence for some to go and do drywall or pick our fruit or work on our golf courses.â€
Participating in the vigil is a spiritual discipline, Adams said.
During the Healing Our Borders prayer vigil, held every Tuesday in Douglas, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, for the last two decades, participants read out the names of migrants who died in the desert while trying to enter the U.S. On March 1, 2022, the name of Carmelo Cruz Marcos, a migrant who was killed by a Border Patrol agent during an encounter on Feb. 19, was added to the crosses.
The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into Cruz’s death. The incident is also under review by the U.S. Border and Customs Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, a process that often takes an extended period of time.
The Consulate of Mexico in Douglas is covering the costs of sending Cruz’s body home to his mother, wife and children, who are between the ages of 1 and 9.
The office has been in daily contact with Cruz’s sister, who lives in Phoenix, on a daily basis, said Deputy Consul Ivannia Calcáneo Hernández.
They’ve advised her to wait for the results of the investigation and that they are in touch with lawyers who will work with the family pro bono. Exactly what lawyers would help the family with depends on the results of the investigation, Calcáneo said, adding that they expect results in the next week or two.
Photos of the U.S. – Mexico border fence
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
A dog stands on a road commonly used by Border Patrol near Slaughter Ranch Museum Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
A border monument on the Mexico side of the border seen east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge sits on the U.S. side of the border with Mexico east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
A bull and cow graze near the site of new wall construction east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
The border seen stretching from hills east of Douglas into the Guadalupe Mountains Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
Flowers grow around border fencing near the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
Construction equipment set up at the site of new border wall construction on the US/Mexico border east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
A Border Patrol tower on the hills east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
Memorials place on graves at Julia Page Memorial Park in Douglas which sits along the U.S./Mexico border Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
A car drives through Douglas on a road parallel to the U.S./Mexico border wall Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
The Slaughter Ranch homestead Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
A lake on the Slaughter Ranch Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
A toy rocking horse placed on the side of East Geronimo Trail with a sign advertising five minute pony rides for 25 cents Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
Highway 2 in Mexico winds its way to Agua Prieta Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
The vehicle in a ditch was driven through the international border fence in Agua Prieta, Mex., into Douglas, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in July 1987.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
Mexican citizens run back into Agua Prieta, Mexico through a hole in the border fence at Douglas, Ariz., after the U.S. Border Patrol scared them back across the border in 1997.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
The Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry on May 1, 2018, in Douglas, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
The Douglas, Ariz., border crossing in 1968.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
U.S./Mexico border fencing next to a old church building in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
Old border posts line the U.S./Mexico line near Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
A Soal Off Roading sticker placed on a U.S./Mexico border post near Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
Mountains in Santa Cruz County seen from Duquesne Road between Nogales and Lochiel seen Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
A monument in Lochiel marking where Fray Marcos De Niza entered ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
Brothers Ramon and Ed De La Ossa mend fencing on their family's ranch in Lochiel after moving cattle Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. The ranch which used to span both sides of the U.S./Mexico border has been in the family for three generations.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
Ed De La Ossa mends fencing on his family's ranch in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. The ranch which used to span both sides of the U.S./Mexico border has been in the family for three generations.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
Ed De La Ossa moves cattle on his family's ranch in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
U.S. Customs inspector Helen Mills, right, greets Mexican counterpart Raymundo Aguirre Castillo at the U.S. - Mexican border station at Lochiel, Ariz., in 1979.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
The US Customs building, right, at Lochiel, Ariz., is just a short distance away from the international border in May 1972. For ten years, Mills has been managing the port of entry, which is mostly made up of five houses, a school and an vacant church, inspecting vehicles as they head into the US. During the week, from Monday through Saturday, Mills opens the border gate from 8 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm. On Sunday the gate is open from 8 am to 6 pm. In that time barely a dozen vehicles make their way across the border but it is a major convenience to the local residents.Â
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
Pedestrians walk to the Nogales port of entry Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
A pedestrian walks across North Grand Avenue in Nogales near the U.S./Mexico port of entries Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer R. Hernandez uses a density-measuring device on the rear quarter-panel of a Mexico-bound passenger vehicle at the DeConcini Port of Entry on Nov. 2, 2016, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
A Customs and Border Protection officer makes a visual check of a man's identification at the DeConcini Port of Entry on Feb. 15, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz. Busts of fraudulent border-crossing documents and the use of someone else's documents plummeted in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the rest of the border in the past decade.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
Northbound commercial truck traffic lined up for inspection at the Mariposa Port of Entry on March 28, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
In the commercial lanes a semi truck stops between the lanes looking for the first available opening at the Mariposa Port of Entry in 2015.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
Javier Castillo inspects a north-bound Mexican tractor-trailer at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Department of Transportation's inspection facility at the Mariposa Port of Entry on Sept. 19, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz. ADOT's International Border Inspection Qualification program, led by ADOT's Border Liaison Unit, teaches commercial truck drivers what to expect during safety inspections when they enter ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ports of entry.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
A Border Patrol truck parked near the commercial port of entry in Nogales.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
An illegal alien scales the U.S.-Mexico fence back toward Sonora after a Nogales Police Department officer, right, spotted him west of the Mariposa Port of Entry, Nov. 15, 2018, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
Kory's, a store catering to wedding, quincea–era and formal gowns, located at 15 N Morley Ave, Nogales, Ariz., sits katty corner to the Morley Gate Border Station on January 30, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
Sun shines through the U.S.-Mexico bollard fence west of the Mariposa Port of Entry, Nov. 15, 2018, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
Children from Nogales, Sonora, climb through a hole in the international border fence to trick-or-treat in Nogales, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, on Halloween in 1987.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Border monument #166 is seen on the right as construction continues on the new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaces old U.S./Mexico border fence two miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Construction continues on the new 30-foot tall bollard fence along the U.S./Mexico border two miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
A Mexican worker rides his horse along a road south of the U.S./Mexican border wall on his way back into Sonoyta Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
New paneling of border wall seen about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Old mesh paneling is removed in preparation for new wall to be built about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
A construction worker prepares cables to lift a piece of the 30-foot tall bollard fence along the U.S./Mexico border fence two miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Border Patrol Officers to the side of a worksite about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry where new border wall is being installed seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Old wall east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Raised wall east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
A work site east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Normandy fencing placed against a section of border fence west of Lukeville Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
A semi passes by Quitobaquito Springs as it drives along Highway 2 in Mexico Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
An area referred to as "flood gate" along the U.S./Mexico border near Sasabe, Ariz. is on the list of the Department of Homeland Security’s priorities for building a border wall, but no funding has been allocated yet. September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
Vehicle barriers mark the U.S./Mexico border within the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
A portion of the U.S./Mexico bollard border fence ends on the right and vehicle barriers begin within the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Integrated Fixed Tower, left, near Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
The new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaced old U.S./Mexico border fence can be seen on the left. It's located about miles east of the Lukeville, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
A US Border Patrol vehicle seen next to a section of new 30 foot high wall along the US/Mexico border near the commercial port of entry in San Luis Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
Old fencing is taken down along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico, Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
A security guard stand in a construction site where a new fence will be placed on the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico, Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
Old fencing against new fencing along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
Crews prepare ground for a new fence to be placed on the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
Vehicles in line to enter the United States from San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
New fencing along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
A new section of fencing on the U.S. - Mexico border in California, just west of Yuma, Ariz., in 1993.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
Sand drifts through the "floating fence" that marks the border running through the dunes, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, west of San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
A sign warns of the dangers of trying to swim the All-American Canal just north of the Mexican border, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, west of San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
A long string of lights illuminate the no-man's land between the triple fencing of the Mexican border, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
The border fence comes to an abrupt end at the currently dry Colorado River, Thursday, July 26, 2018, west of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.
Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223. On Twitter:
Danyelle Khmara
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