Border Angels Expands Water Drops as Extreme Heat Moves Into Border Region

As triple-digit temperatures settle into the San Diego border region this week, a local humanitarian organization is preparing for one of its busiest times of the year.

Border Angels is ramping up its water drop operations to help prevent heat-related deaths among migrants traveling through dangerous desert terrain.

The nonprofit has conducted water drops since 1986, placing lifesaving supplies along migrant routes in the Otay Mountain region.

Volunteers will spend the week delivering water, electrolytes and other emergency supplies to remote desert locations where migrants are known to travel.

Organizers say supplies are often hidden in shaded areas to help protect them from extreme heat and direct sunlight.

In addition to desert operations, Border Angels volunteers will also distribute cold water to day laborers waiting for work throughout San Diego County.

The group regularly visits gathering locations, including home improvement stores and job pickup sites, to make sure workers have access to drinking water during periods of dangerous heat.

Border Angels leaders say that while migration patterns have shifted in recent months, the demand for water assistance has remained constant.

The organization says the continued disappearance of water supplies left in the desert shows that the need remains significant, especially during the hottest months of the year.