Migrant deaths on US border rise

In each of the past two years, 10 times more migrants died near the Mexican border in New Mexico than just five years ago, as smuggling gangs take migrants – exhausted, dehydrated and malnourished – mainly through the hot desert, canyons or mountains west of El Paso, Texas.

During the first eight months of 2024, the bodies of 108 people believed to be migrants mostly from Mexico and Central America were found in New Mexico, often within 4 miles of El Paso, according to the most recent data. In 2023, the remains of 113 likely migrants were found in the state, compared with nine in 2020 and 10 in 2019.

Many experts say smugglers are treating migrants more harshly and taking them on routes that could be more dangerous under extreme summer temperatures.

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The findings have augmented the work of the University of New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Examiner, which identifies the deceased and performs autopsies that almost always show a heart-related cause of death. “Our reaction was sadness, horror and shock because (the number) had been very consistently low for as long as anyone could remember,” said Heather Edgar, a forensic anthropologist.

The office, which serves the entire state, has been hiring medical investigators over the past two years to handle the surge in deaths, on top of the usual 2,500 forensic cases.

“We’ve always had three agents in that area, and I think we have nine or 10 now,” Edgar said of the migration corridor in New Mexico.

Immigration and border security are top of mind for voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, but candidates have focused on keeping migrants out of the U.S. and deporting those already there.

Meanwhile, former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump said in recent days that if elected he plans to use a 226-year-old law to fulfill his promises of mass deportations.

Información publicada originalmente en El Heraldo de México