New Mexico

Migrant deaths on New Mexico border rise ten fold

Published

1 year ago

October 15, 2024

Migrant deaths on New Mexico border rise ten fold

The number of migrant deaths in New Mexico near the U.S.-Mexico border has surged tenfold over the past two years compared with five years ago, alarming new figures have revealed.

According to the experts who handled the data, smuggling gangs are increasingly leading vulnerable migrants into perilous terrain including desert regions, canyons, and mountains west of El Paso, Texas, where surviving the tough conditions is impossible for many.

Recent data reveals that in the first eight months of 2024, 108 presumed migrants, predominantly from Mexico and Central America, were discovered dead near the border in New Mexico, often within just 10 miles of El Paso.

In contrast, only nine bodies were found in 2020 and ten in 2019, while 113 were recorded in 2023.

Border Patrol vehicles survey a steel fence at the Southwest border with Mexico at Sunland Park, New Mexico, Aug. 22, 2024. Ten times as many migrants died in New Mexico near the U.S.-Mexico border in…

Morgan Lee/AP, file

Nearly half this year’s deceased migrants found in New Mexico were women, with the largest segment being females aged 20 to 29.

The reasons behind this spike in fatalities remain unclear, but experts attribute it to harsher treatment by smugglers and the selection of more dangerous routes amid extreme summer temperatures.

Heather Edgar, a forensic anthropologist with the University of New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator, said “Our reaction was sadness, horror, and surprise because it had been consistently low for as long as anyone can remember.”

According to Edgar, his office has been overwhelmed by the upsurge in migrants deaths, having been forced to recruit additional deputy medical investigators to handle the increase in numbers, which came on top of the usual workload of 2,500 forensic cases annually.

Forensic anthropologist Heather Edgar with the Office of the Medical Investigator poses for a portrait outside her office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Oct. 3, 2024. She said the Office’s reaction to the rise of migrant…

Susan Montoya Bryan/AP

As immigration and border security loom large in voters’ minds ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, candidates have focused primarily on preventing migrant entry and deporting those already in the U.S.

However, the increase in deaths has raised urgent humanitarian concerns since smugglers began leading migrants through gaps in the fencing at Sunland Park and over low barriers near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

Adam Isacson, an analyst for the Washington Office on Latin America said “People are dying close to urban areas, in some cases just 1,000 feet from roads.”

He has called for more water stations, improved telecommunications, and enhanced rescue efforts.

In response to the surge, New Mexico officials are ramping up their crackdown on human smuggling networks, recently arresting 16 individuals and rescuing 91 trafficked people.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has also deployed a surveillance blimp to monitor the migration corridor and set up movable radar towers for better detection.

Officials have introduced 30 new push-button beacons along remote border stretches in New Mexico and Texas to summon emergency medical help, in addition to installing over 500 placards with location coordinates directing migrants to call 911.

This summer, Border Patrol, responsible for securing nearly 6,000 miles of land borders, expanded its search and rescue operations, dispatching more patrols equipped with medical specialists. They have relocated beacons closer to areas where migrants are frequently found in distress.

Border Patrol reported nearly 1,000 rescues of migrants in New Mexico and Texas over the past year, a sharp increase from about 600 rescues the previous year.

Even while overall migration declines following the Biden administration’s major asylum restrictions, the number of deaths in New Mexico now rivals those in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, where 114 presumed border crossers were found dead during the same period this year, according to a mapping project by the nonprofit Humane Borders.

This article contains additional reporting from The Associated Press

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New Mexico

Holiday markets count on shoppers to support small business

Published

1 hour ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

Holiday markets count on shoppers to support small business

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The holiday shopping season is underway, with thousands of New Mexicans visiting local businesses Saturday.

Last night, Winrock hosted a tree lighting ceremony, transforming their shopping center. Today, shoppers enjoyed treats from food vendors and photos with Santa.

Unlike major retailers, small businesses rely on a few peak weekends with high foot traffic. Organizers say the Artisan Market, happening this weekend, attracts thousands each year.

“Our artists work all year for this,” said Raquel Chambers, New Mexico Artisan Market Executive Director. “This is the biggest weekend of the year for them.”

The New Mexican Artisan Market is at Hotel Albuquerque and open for the rest of the weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Next week, Old Town will celebrate the Christmas season with a tree lighting and holiday stroll on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m.

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New Mexico

Mountain West Reacts Results: Winning Week 14 Games

Published

19 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

Mountain West Reacts Results: Winning Week 14 Games

This post is brought to you by FanDuel, proud partner of SBNation.

Lobos most likely to join the Aztecs in MW Championship.

The voters picked Boise State over Utah State by the slimmest of margins… and that’s exactly what happened in the game on Friday, with the Broncos securing a one-point victory over the Aggies. With the win, they keep their conference championship hopes alive.

Utah State going bowling?

Fans went 2 for 2 this week predicting games. They picked New Mexico to beat San Diego State at home and that’s exactly what happened. Will it be enough for the Lobos to find a place in the MW Championship?

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New Mexico

2 killed in New Mexico plane crash, investigation ongoing

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

2 killed in New Mexico plane crash, investigation ongoing

A private plane that was last known to be near the Alamogordo White Sands Regional Airport, roughly 60 miles northeast of Las Cruces, crashed sometime after takeoff around 11:30 a.m. Nov. 26.
The plane was found burned with two bodies inside near Cloudcroft, New Mexico, on Nov. 27.
The crash follows high-profile aviation incidents around the country in 2025, including a commercial plane crash that killed 67 in January and a UPS cargo plane crash that killed 14 in November.

Two people were killed in a private plane crash in southern New Mexico ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The plane took off around 11:30 a.m. Nov. 26 and was scheduled to return to its “airport of origin” an hour later, according to New Mexico State Police.

Officials didn’t specify what airport that was, though they said the plane was last known to be near the Alamogordo White Sands Regional Airport, around 60 miles northeast of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

A family member of one of the passengers reported the plane missing after the person didn’t return from the flight, according to KOAT-TV in Albuquerque.

Search and rescue personnel found the plane on the morning of Nov. 27 near Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a small community within the Lincoln National Forest that’s just over a dozen miles away from the Alamogordo White Sands Regional Airport.

New Mexico State Police, the Alamogordo police and fire departments and New Mexico Search and Rescue were among the agencies involved in the effort.

The plane was found burned with two bodies inside. The names of the deceased were not immediately made public.

The incident was listed as an accidental crash on the National Transportation Safety Board’s incident database as of Nov. 28. An investigation is ongoing.

Incident follows other plane crashes in 2025

The New Mexico crash comes toward the end of a tumultuous year for aviation.

A mid-air collision between a commercial passenger jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., killed 67 people in January. It marked the first high-profile commercial aviation crash since 2009, when a commercial plane crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people.

Two more people were killed several weeks after the Potomac River crash when two fixed-wing, single-engine planes crashed mid-air near Marana, Arizona.

Earlier in November, a UPS cargo plane burst into flames and crashed shortly after takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, killing 14 people.

Amid flight and airport chaos stemming from the historic government shutdown, President Donald Trump pledged on Nov. 10 that the United States would soon be “getting the finest air traffic control system anywhere in the world.”

Trump did not provide many details but said companies including IBM and Raytheon were bidding to build the new national infrastructure.

“…We’re going to pick the best one, and it’ll get built relatively quickly, and we’re going to have the greatest air traffic control system anywhere in the world,” he said.

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