4 volunteers have been convicted of entering a wildlife refuge while trying to help migrants

PHOENIX (AP)A federal judge has found four women guilty of entering a national wildlife refuge without a permit as they sought to place food and water in the Arizona desert for migrants.US Magistrate Judge Bernardo Velasco's ruling Friday marked the first conviction against humanitarian aid volunteers in a decade.The verdict said their actions "[erode] the national decision to maintain the refuge in its pristine nature."The four found guilty of misdemeanors in the recent case were volunteers for No More Deaths, which said in a statement the group had been providing life-saving aid to migrants. The volunteers include Natalie Hoffman, Oona Holcomb, Madeline Huse and Zaachila Orozco-McCormick.Hoffman was found guilty of operating a vehicle inside Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, entering the federally protected area without a permit, and leaving water jugs and cans of beans there in August 2017. The others were found guilty of entering without a permit and leaving behind personal property.No More Deaths has said 155 migrants have died since 2001 in the refuge, which shares a 50-mile border with Mexico.SEE ALSO:Trump says it's 'insane' that watchdog reports about Afghanistan are released to the public: 'The public means the enemy'Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: I spent a day with Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border
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