At Wednesday night’s Republican debate, candidates had yet another chance to show who could come up with the most intolerant immigration rhetoric. Donald Trump rephrased his original inflammatory statements on Mexican immigrants by saying, “We have a lot of really bad dudes from outside,” and he suggested ending birthright citizenship for people he has repeatedly called “anchor babies.” Marco Rubio and Ben Carson promised stricter immigration control, and they said they would build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
As Republican candidates vie to out-Trump one another, it’s easy to forget the human side of the immigration debate. The items below once belonged to immigrants who died of dehydration or heat exhaustion while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The objects were photographed in December at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Tucson, Arizona, where forensic anthropologists try to identify the deceased by studying their personal items and bodily remains. They tell stories of lives and dreams cut short, of people who combed their hair, brushed their teeth, smoked cheap cigarettes, read the Bible, and had lovers and loved ones whom they missed and who missed them.
A comb, change, and a Mexican identification card at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on Dec. 9, 2014. The items were found with the decomposed remains of a 25-year-old man found in the Arizona desert on Aug. 1, 2014.
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Advertisement A toothbrush, a passport photo, toothpaste, a cellphone, and a razor found on the decomposed remains of a man discovered in the Arizona desert in 2014.
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Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chapstick, a lighter, cigarettes, a power cord, and a Bible found on the mummified remains of a Guatemalan man in the Arizona desert on June 19, 2014.
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Advertisement A box of matches and a set of earbuds found with the remains of a person discovered in the Arizona desert.
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A letter to a loved one, 200 Mexican pesos, $20, change, and a Mexican voting identification card found on the decomposed remains of a man discovered in the Arizona desert on Oct. 9, 2014.
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Advertisement Advertisement Money and other items, including a letter to a loved one that reads: “ … I know you’re sad … it made me very happy to see you in that photo, but it also made me sad. … I love you and I’m waiting for you and we will find a way to be together again, I also miss you a lot, you don’t know how much, I miss you so fucking much. … I’m suffering but I’m holding on because I’m strong … please don’t forget me.” The items were found on the decomposed remains of a man discovered in the Arizona desert on Oct. 9, 2014.
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Advertisement Advertisement A list of phone numbers, including one for “father-in-law,” found with the remains of a person discovered in the Arizona desert.
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Advertisement A wallet that reads in Spanish “Tenemos Que Ganar” (“We Have to Win”) with the skeletal remains of a person found in the Arizona desert on July 5, 2014.
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Advertisement A lighter reading “Vatos Forever,” Mexican slang for “Dudes Forever.” The item was with the decomposed remains of a person found in the Arizona desert on Aug. 1, 2014.
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Advertisement Money from Honduras and Mexico, a bracelet, a pouch, a young boy’s photograph, and other objects found on the “fully fleshed” body of man, who an examiner determined to have died of “environmental heat exposure, ”discovered in the Arizona desert on June 10, 2014.
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Advertisement Advertisement A change purse and a Vic’s Vapor Rub container found with the skeletal remains of a person discovered in the Arizona desert on Sept. 23, 2014.
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Advertisement Advertisement A list of items to bring on the journey, along with Mexican money. The list reads: “For your walk don’t forget to bring: Water, salt, lemons, garlic, matches, canned or packaged food items of your preference.” The items were found on the skeletal remains of a man discovered in the Arizona desert on June 1, 2014.
