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.

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.

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