Oct. 28 (UPI) — At least 853 migrants have died trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border over the past 12 months, making fiscal year 2022 the deadliest year for migrants ever.
According to CBS News, the numbers exceed the previous record of 546 migrant deaths in fiscal year 2021. However, because Border Patrol does not collect complete data on migrant deaths, the number is likely higher than 853.
The trek to reach the U.S. is a dangerous one and poses many challenges for migrants fleeing from other countries. Many migrants have drowned in the Rio Grande river, perished due to extreme heat or died in falls from border barriers.
In June 53 migrants were found dead inside a tractor-trailer in the deadliest human smuggling case in U.S. history. There was no water inside the trailer, which was also a refrigerated truck that did not have the air conditioning turned on.
In a statement to CBS News, Cecilia Barreda, a spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which oversees Border Patrol, said human smugglers have been endangering migrants’ lives to make a profit.
“Smuggling organizations are abandoning migrants in remote and dangerous areas, leading to a rise in the number of rescues but also tragically a rise in the number of deaths,” Barreda said. “The terrain along the border is extreme, the summer heat is severe, and the miles of desert migrants must hike after crossing the border in many areas are unforgiving.”
The International Organization for Migration, a United Nations affiliated group, has called the U.S.-Mexico border “the deadliest land crossing in the world.”
