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Kate Sheehy

Robin Hoover holds the tactical flashlight he is distributing to migrants to use as a safety tool in the desert.

Kate Sheehy

Hoover says a really bright flashlight has 200 lumens, this one has 2,000. The light has the ability to focus, strobe and emit an S.O.S signal.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Rev. Robin Hoover has long been involved with safety initiatives for migrants making the dangerous trek through the desert to try and enter the United States illegally. This Fourth of July he will be going to Altar, Mexico, to distribute what he hopes will become a new tool for survival.

Altar is about 3.5 hours from the Arizona border, in the Mexican state of Sonora. It is a popular stopping point for migrants to buy supplies for the remainder of their trip through the desert.

Hoover said he wants to arm migrants with high intensity flashlights he found through a company in China. He said they can be used to signal Border Patrol authorities or civilians for help. 

“It has a square LED in it that is its trademark, it’s called a CREE. It’s super, super high intensity. This means that I can shine this light on a tree, in the utter darkness in the desert at night and illuminate that tree from a half a mile away,” he said. 

Hoover said the light can be focused and has strobe and S.O.S. functions. He said going forward he plans to encourage vendors in Altar to buy the flashlights and sell them.

Hoover founded Humane Borders, a group that maintains water stations in areas heavily trafficked by migrants.