TUCSON, Ariz.-A U.S. jury could not reach a verdict Tuesday against a border activist charged with conspiracy to transport and harbor migrants in a trial that humanitarian aid groups said would have wide implications on their work.
Defense attorneys argued that Scott Daniel Warren, a 36-year-old college geography instructor, was simply being kind by providing two migrants with water, food and lodging when he was arrested in early 2018. He faced up to 20 years in prison.
But prosecutors maintained the men were not in distress and Warren conspired to transport and harbor them at a property used for providing aid to migrants in an Arizona town near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The case played out as humanitarian groups say they are coming under increasing scrutiny under President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies.
Outside the courthouse, Warren thanked his supporters and criticized the government's efforts to crack down on the number of immigrants coming to the U.S.