I came across this project while reading Kathleen Hanna‘s (of Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and Julie Ruin) blog! They are a project by an Argentine artist which received a grant to design shoes built to assist immigrants with making the dangerous trek across the U.S.-Mexico border. From the BBC

The trainers are adorned with unusual items.
“The shoe includes a compass, a flashlight because people cross at night, and inside is included also some Tylenol painkillers because many people get injured during crossing,” Werthein says.
The artist was commissioned by a cross-border arts exhibition called inSite to develop a project that “intervened” in some aspect of border life. While researching her project, the Argentine native became fascinated by illegal immigrants’ primary mode of transportation – their feet. An Aztec eagle is embroidered on the heel. On the toe is the American eagle found on the US quarter, to represent the American dream the migrants are chasing. A map – printed on the shoe’s removable insole – shows the most popular illegal routes from Tijuana into San Diego.

There is also an article at Delete the Border.