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Protocol Development for the Standardization of Identification and Examination of UBC Bodies Along the U.S.-Mexico Border: a Best Practices Manual

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Protocol Development for the Standardization of Identification and Examination of UBC Bodies Along the U.S.-Mexico Border: a Best Practices Manual Protocol Development for the Standardization of Identification and Examination of UBC Bodies Along the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Best Practices Manual Binational Migration Institute University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 2014 This project was support by Grant No.: 2010DDBX0716 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Pro- grams, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office for Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Legal Disclaimer: The legal information in this manual is general. Laws change frequently and vary from state to state. Therefore, this manual is not intended as a substitute for identifying current legal responsibilities. The Binational Migration Institute accepts no responsibility for those who rely on this manual as a substitute for identifying legal responsibilities. iii Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith, CoPI Anna Ochoa O’Leary, Co-PI Gabriella Soto, Graduate Research Assistant Bruce Parks, MD, Consultant Student Research Assistants in chronological order of their participation: Francisco Baires, Anthropology Kathryn Rodriguez, Business and Public Administration Soni Stake, Public Health Oscar Hernando Torres-Urquidi, Agriculture Azucena Sanchez, Communications Luis Eduardo Torrens, Public Health Jenna Glickman International Studies, Honors College Robin Reineke, Anthropology Sofia Gomez, Public Health Gabriella Soto, Anthropology Aungelique Rodriguez, Journalism Zoraida Francis-Reyes, Latin American Studies Brenda Anaya Environmental Studies, Honors College Zachary Driscoll, Latin American Studies Megan Sheehan, Anthropology Florence Durney, Anthropology Jesus Jaime-Dias, Education iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................iv Section 1: Protocol Development for the Standardization of Post Mortem Examination and Identifi- cation of UBC bodies along the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Best Practices Manual………............................1 Section 2: Discovery of Remains and Evidence Collection…………………………………………………................9 Section 3: Transportation…………………………………………………………………………………………………...............16 Section 4: Pathology Exams…………………………………………………………………………………………….................18 Section 5: Identified, Unidentified, and Missing Migrants……………………………………………….................30 Section 6: Release…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..................37 Section 7: DNA……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….................43 Section 8: Databases……………………………………………………………………………………………………...................47 Section 9: Burial and Exhumation……………………………………………………………………………………................53 Section 10: Death Recording…………………………………………………………………………………………..................57 Section 11: Records and Record Keeping………………………………………………………………………..................63 Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………....................67 Appendices Appendix A: Methods…………………………………………………………………………………………………………............70 Appendix B: Social Vulnerability Index…………………………………………………………………....………….............75 Appendix C: Excerpt from “The Identification of Unknown Undocumented Border Crossers (UBCs): Recommendations for the Improvement of Current Methods” (Woods 2007)……..............................82 Appendix D: Resources…………………………………………………………………………………………………...................84 Appendix E: County Data Collected by BMI…………………………………………………………………....................85 Appendix F: Glossary of Terms…………………………………………………………………………………........................89 v List of Figures Figure 1: Best Practice Flowchart for UBC Deaths………………….................………………………………….........1 Figure 2: Best Practice Infographic…………………………………………………………..................………………….......5 Figure 3: Are GPS coordinates recorded at the scene of discovery?.....................................................10 Figure 4: Is cause of death ever determined at the scene of discovery?............................................11 Figure 5: First Contact when Human Remains are Discovered in a Wilderness Setting......................12 Figure 6: Are identification cards ever used unilaterally to establish positive identification?............19 Figure 7: Methods Used to Identify Unknown Remains………………………….................……………….........22 Figure 8: Supplementary Autopsy Forms from PCOME.................................................................25-26 Figure 9: Remains Identification Flowchart………………………………………………….................………….........30 Figure 10: Officials Authorized to Establish Positive Identification on Unidentified RemaIns............32 Figure 11: Stages of Identification Flowchart…………………………………………...............………………........…36 Figure 12: Release Protocol for Unknown Persons from the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................42 Figure 13: Was lack of funding used to justify practices?...................................................................44 Figure 14: Who Pays for DNA Samples?..............................................................................................45 Figure 15: U.S. Standard Certificate of Death………………………………………………………............................59 Figure 16: Supplementary Autopsy Forms from the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, with UBC notation highlighted…………………………………………………………………………………...............................60 Figure 17: Percent of Time Officials Reported Multiple Agencies Involved………………........................64 Figure 18: Percent of Time Counties with Multiple Respondents Gave Conflicting Answers …….........70 Figure 19: Types of Officials Interviewed Pie Chart………………………………………….................................72 Figure 20: Counties in Study Area……………………………………………………………………...............................74 Figure 21: Social Vulnerability metrics, as applied to UBC deaths......................................................77 Figure 22: Social Vulnerability Index...................................................................................................78 Figure 23: Normalized General Fund Budget......................................................................................79 Figure 24: Normalized County Percent Share of State Hospitals........................................................79 Figure 25: Normalized Population Density.........................................................................................80 Figure 26: Normalized Percent of Population (over 24) with Bachelor’s Degree...............................80 Figure 27: Normalized Percent of Population Living Below the Poverty Line.....................................81 Figure 28: Normalized Percent Population of Hispanic Descent........................................................81 vi Acknowledgements This manual is the product of the sustained efforts of many. Meriting acknowledgement is the actions that evolved into broader public concern over the growing number of deceased undoc- umentedrole of concerned border crossers citizens alongwho organized the nation’s their southern communities border. or Credited through for their drawing offices, attention prompting of this phenomenon to governments and civic leaders are those who were committed from early - on to exposing the issues that this manual has strived to address, including the “how many have ofdied,” systematically and “how many”compiling remain records unidentified. from numerous Among sources these are to morethe Coalición accurately de enumerate Derechos Huthe deceasedmanos, in alongTucson, the Arizona, Sonoran which desert was migrant among corridor. the first The of such work organizations of human rights to take activists on the Isabel task Garcia and Kathryn Rodriguez was instrumental to enjoining efforts led by the Pima County - Medical Examiner’s office, and in particular by Dr. Bruce Parks, Dr. Bruce Anderson, Dr. Greg multi-prongedHess, and Robin model Reineke, of collaboration and the Pima has County been Boardthe cornerstone of Supervisors. for the This applied model research of civic-sci that engenderedentific cooperation the idea led for to this one manual. of the first comprehensive reports on migrant deaths, and this The manual was subsequently made possible with the support from the Department of Justice/ Bureau of Justice Administration [Congressionally directed project No. 2010 DD BX 0716]. We- also thank Rep. Raúl Grijalva whose commitment to public service facilitated our work, for which The Binational Migration Institute (BMI) is grateful. We also wish to also acknowledge the insti tutional support given by the University of Arizona, for the assistance provided by the Office of Federal Relations, the Dean for the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, J.P. Jones, and- to the Department of Mexican American Studies, for the support each of these have provided. Within the Mexican American Studies Department, we are thankful for the assistance and en- couragement given to BMI by its leadership: to Richard Ruiz, Head, and Antonio Estrada, former invaluablehead of the guidance Department, and directionand for the in supportnavigating from
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