This recording was made at the Brooks County Safety Rest Area which opened in 1998 and features restrooms, drinking water fountains, picnic arbors and walking trails. It is located directly between the North and South bound lanes of US Highway 281 and across from the Cage Ranch, the "finest cattle and hunting ranch in America". Brooks County has the highest number of migrant deaths in Texas and the Cage Ranch has the highest number of bodies recovered with over 90 to date.
The recording starts with the sound of a Border Patrol helicopter that is doing a final sweep of the area after a man seeking assistance approached a woman in her car. He was taken into custody by Border Patrol. The helicopter then headed south to assist on the apprehension of a juvenile who had been separated from the group he was traveling north with.
Vehicles, including passenger cars and 18-wheeler trucks, can be heard passing on US Highway 281 which stretches 1,872 miles from the Southern border with Mexico to the Northern border with Canada. It has been nicknamed “The Corridor of Death” due to the high number of migrant deaths that happen alongside it. 281 is also the location of a three-lane interior checkpoint 70 miles north of the border with Mexico operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Birds can be heard in the background. The Rio Grande Valley, in which Brooks County resides, is one of the top birdwatching destinations in the United States. Over 500 different species of birds can be found there and the Central Migratory Flyway of North America goes directly through the county.
The recording ends with a summer rain storm.