‘Samaritans’ film highlights humanitarian work being done at the Arizona-Sonora border

Sahuarita, Arizona – The southern Arizona advocate community came together on a weekend dedicated to celebrating the humanitarian work done at the border to protect immigrant lives as they attempt to cross the Sonoran Desert from Mexico into the U.S.

CALÓ News got the chance to cover the Southern Arizona Borderlands premiere of “Samaritans,” the third installment of the documentary trilogy by filmmaker and storyteller David Damian Figueroa. The screening took place at the Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Sahuarita, Arizona, a town about 25 miles south of Tucson.

The full-length documentary spotlights the extreme efforts of humanitarians as they work to aid and save the lives of migrants. It opens with a scene showing the apprehension of Figueroa and award-winning author Reyna Grande, who were racially profiled and detained in an immigration transport van — known as a perrera, or kennel — because of their skin color. 

Throughout the documentary, Figueroa weaves together footage from his award-winning shorts, “Shura” and “They Call Me the Cross Man,” alongside encounters with travelers and law enforcement, documenting the efforts of volunteers to prevent deaths in the desert. “Shura” follows an octogenarian woman who provides humanitarian aid to migrants crossing the Arizona-Mexico border, while “They Call Me the Cross Man” follows Tucson artist Alvaro Enciso, who has placed over 1,700 crosses to honor the migrants who have lost their lives in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

Figueroa said he feels relieved and grateful to tell the story about migrants, a project that took three years to develop.

“I feel the narrative has been hijacked over many years about who migrants are and what the border is about,” Figueroa said. “I want to show that there are people who genuinely care about others and their livelihoods, regardless of citizenship. We should be in the mindset that all people — including undocumented folks — are human beings.”

According to Figueroa, the film examines a seldom-explored aspect of extreme volunteering and migration, focusing on Nogales, Sasabe and a twenty-three-mile stretch of the Sonoran Desert, one of the deadliest land crossings in the world. Against the backdrop of human struggle, the film presents a poignant narrative of hope, compassion and the impact of life-saving volunteer work in the Sonoran Desert.

Saturday’s screening gathered several cast members, including Shura Wallin — star of Figueroa’s first documentary of the same name and co-founder of the Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritans — and artist Alvaro Enciso, known for his desert memorials honoring migrants who died crossing and for his lead role in “They Call Me the Cross Man.” Other attendees included Tucson Samaritan Gail Kocourek, Kristy Stewart, Rita Henniger Danks, Jaime Brusstar and Pastor Randy J. Mayer. 

‘Samaritan’ voices applaud Figueroa’s documentary

Wallin told CALÓ News that she hopes the film will inspire viewers.

“‘Samaritans’ really opens people’s eyes. Most people don’t know what’s happening here at the border, and maybe after seeing this film, they’ll realize there’s something they can do to give back to their community,” she said. “I love the people I help. Sometimes people ask if I’m afraid… but I don’t fear — I’m a black belt in karate,” she said with a laugh.

Kocourek, a 74-year-old Tucson humanitarian who recently accused immigration agents of assaulting and falsely arresting her during a routine aid mission near the Sasabe border, emphasized the universal mission of the Samaritans.

"It’s important for people to know that we help everyone, no questions asked. The Samaritans’ mission is simple: to help people stay alive. As David Damian calls it, we are ‘death interrupters.’ It’s not only migrants who benefit; hikers and others in the desert rely on our water stations, too,” she said.

Stewart, who helped build campsites during the peak of the asylum seeker crisis, called the film a powerful tool “for people around the world to see and hear the real story of what’s happening along our border. People need to understand why they are immigrating — that these are good people risking everything to save their lives and the lives of their families.”

For Enciso, an artist and migrant from Colombia, the film helps highlight the unseen tragedies in the desert.

"Those who die in the desert seeking a better life are almost insignificant — we don’t know their names. They had plans and dreams like all of us, yet their deaths rarely make the TV news or headlines because they are considered insignificant in pursuit of the so-called American Dream,” he said. “When I learned how many migrants were losing their lives, I felt an obligation to create ‘Donde mueren los sueños’ (Where Dreams Die) to give them presence and honor the courage it takes to leave everything behind — your family, your country, your culture — to journey north into a dangerous and uncertain path."

Through ‘Donde mueren los sueños,’ Enciso pays respect to migrants who lost their lives in the desert to make them visible right where they died by placing a handmade cross.

Pastor Randy Mayer, co-founder of the Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritans, said the documentary shows activities led by volunteers “whose hearts are fully committed to alleviating suffering and the struggle along the border just being human to another human.” Helping migrants is more than a mission — it’s his calling, he said.

“The stories need to be told. Things have changed a lot along the border, and much of it hasn’t been good. It’s important to continue sharing the story so people can hear the truth and see what’s really happening. The people we encounter are decent, family-loving, salt-of-the-earth people and we need them in this country," he concluded.

Plans are underway for a Los Angeles premiere this winter, and the film will be available to audiences worldwide on a streaming platform in the first quarter of 2026. “Samaritans” was directed by Figueroa alongside producer Kayvon Derak Shanian, executive producer Pepe Serna and co-producer Reyna Grande. The project was brought to life under the leadership of Mayer and the dedicated volunteers of the Southern Arizona Borderlands Samaritans.

Dawn Page (she/her; Latine) is a freelance writer for CALÓ News. She grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border between Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Sonora. She recently earned a Master’s in Bilingual Journalism from the University of Arizona. Her reporting focuses on immigration, borderlands issues, lifestyle, business and entertainment.