ARIVACA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Just eight miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, Michelle Davis says the desert escape she found is being disturbed by trash scattered across her land.
“It’s just the peace and quiet and the land. I mean, you can’t find land like this. I’ve looked all over Arizona to see where else I could find something that was similar to this that had the amenities that our little tiny town has here, and I can’t find it,” Davis says.
She says the peace and quiet fades quickly once she starts walking her property. “Black water bottles everywhere, food, clothing, blankets across the road," are just some of the items found.
She explains some of the trash will end up disintegrating into the ground. But other items left behind tell a different story.
“Carpet shoes and you know, the strips that they cut the blankets up into so that the packs don’t hurt their backs and dig into them. That’s not people trying to come here for a job, that’s drug cartel. And the drug cartel are pretty much in our backyard when you think about it,” Davis says.
The trash problem along Arizona’s borderlands is not new. According to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, about 2,000 tons of trash litter Arizona’s border region every year.
Humanitarian groups that operate in the desert say they provide food and water because it is essential for anyone crossing the harsh terrain. One example is No More Deaths, a southern Arizona-based humanitarian group. They say their volunteers hike remote desert corridors year-round, leaving water, food and other supplies and providing emergency aid to people making long, dangerous crossings.
Davis, however, says those efforts don’t account for the impact left behind on private property.
“For somebody to be in your backyard without your permission is not acceptable to me at all. And then there’s the people that support them and bring them through and help them to get across. If you wanna help them, why don’t you sponsor them?” Davis questions.
Davis points to employment-based immigrant visas as one alternative, noting that employers typically cover the costs of the sponsorship process. She says that tradeoff is worth it if it means protecting the land and the people who live nearby.
Purple paint lines the edges of her property, a widely recognized signal marking private land and warning against trespassing.
Davis hopes the story brings greater awareness to the trash homeowners near the border are forced to deal with.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
