A group of Tucson activists carried allegations of abuse of migrants to Washington on Wednesday, September 17. They claim it’s the U.S. Border Patrol doing the abusing.

The number of known migrant bodies recovered along the Arizona-Mexico border this year stands roughly at 148, according to the website NoMoreDeaths.org. But that count only goes through July of this year. Their statistics show 100 fewer bodies were recovered this year compared to last year. But the group says more importantly than how many migrants die in the desert is Border Patrol’s treatment of them.

“We’re carrying these stories of abuse, and we hope that they’re heard and that they’re taken seriously, and that people can understand the reality of the war zone that is on the border,” says No More Deaths spokesperson Maryada Vallet.

Vallet and other immigration activists from Tucson took stories they collected about the border’s war zone to the nation’s capital. They along with Congressman Raul Grijalva presented over 100 pages worth of allegations of Border Patrol agents physically and sexually abusing migrants.

Vallet detailed some of the complaints they took to the hearing, including “no medical attention, a family separated, of personal belongings and important identity documents being taken away, the list goes on and on,” she says.

The Border Patrol is still reviewing the report, so no one could comment specifically about any of the allegations. But a spokesperson at the Tucson Sector Headquarters says they take these allegations very seriously. “It’s thoroughly investigated, not just within the agency but outside of the agency as well,” says Rob Daniels. He adds that the agency encourages people to report allegations of abuse or mistreatment. “If there’s something that needs to be changed, then it’s changed,” he says.

Activists plan to develop a series of guidelines and regulations they hope Border Patrol will follow.