Although Border Crossings and Apprehensions Decrease, Migrant Deaths in Desert Still High

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Bodies stored at Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner
Despite a steep decline in border crossings and apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border, immigrant deaths have increased. And over the past 22 years, at least 2,238 migrants died crossing Arizona's southwestern desert, according to a new study.

The study released Wednesday by Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner and the Binational Migration Institute at the University of Arizona found the typical migrant to perish in the desert is a man about 30 years old from central or southern Mexico who succumbs from exposure while trying to evade law enforcement. Women made up 20 percent of the deaths; teenagers and children as young as 10 accounted for 13 percent of deaths.

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Researchers blame the initial increase in deaths, and its continuation today, on poor immigration policies, '90s economic reform that displaced hundreds of thousands of farmworkers, and ramped-up border-enforcement tactics that increasingly push migrants into the harsh desert.

A funnel effect began in 1994 under President Bill Clinton with a program called "Operation Gatekeeper," pinching popular Texas and California migration routes, and migrants began coursing through the arid Arizona desert. The new routes trailed along barren, rock-filled mountains under much more extreme temperatures than before.

"That's when we saw the increased deaths...when they had to start immigrating through here," says Gregory Hess, chief medical examiner for Pima County.

Hikers, hunters, and law enforcement typically find the bodies, and most in southern Arizona end up in the Medical Examiner's office. It's Hess and his team who sort through the bloated corpses, skeletons, clothes, and, when they get lucky, identification left with the remains.

"For those who die in remote areas," the report says, "there is a longer period of time between death and recovery, which means more decomposition and further challenges in establishing cause of death."

In the '90s, the highest annual total of migrant bodies seen by the Medical Examiner's office was 21 (one of those years drew only five). But in 2000, it spiked to 71. The trend continued, jumping to 209 in 2007 and peaking at 225 in 2010.

The death toll seems to mirror increased Border Patrol staffing in the Southwest. In 2001, Border Patrol staff nearly tripled (to roughly 9,000 officers) from its numbers in the early '90s. The end of the following decade saw that amount nearly double, to 17,408 in 2009. Now the U.S. has more officers than ever patrolling its border, forcing migrants into increasingly risky routes. At one point, the load of bodies even forced the Medical Examiner's office to buy an extra unit to store corpses and bones.

Death tolls

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"Researchers blame the initial increase of deaths, and its continuation today, on poor immigration policies, 90s economic reform that displaced hundreds of thousands of farmworkers, and ramped border enforcement tactics that increasingly push migrants into the harsh desert." 

Interesting that researchers don't blame the deaths on people choosing to cross a harsh desert environment without proper supplies or equipment.  While every death is tragic because each person is someone's son or daughter, sister, brother and often parent, it is disingenuous not to put much of the blame on the individual for putting themselves in the dangerous situation that resulted in his or her own death.  It seems to me that choosing to cross the harsh desert environment of the border without sufficient water and supplies is similar to choosing to go mountain climbing with a badly frayed rope - the tragic outcome is highly predictable.  I don't mean to sound callous, but before we balme immigration policies let blame the person that makes the choice to cross the desert in the first place.

valleynative topcommenter

If the death rate seems disproportionately high compared to the estimated crossing rate, then that tells us that the crossing rate is being underestimated (or under-reported).   Similarly if it's high compared to the apprehension rate, that tells us that the percentage being apprehended is lower than estimated.


Yes and if you run in front of a train you'll probably be hit and killed so what's the controversy? I suppose that you liberals will be calling for watering stations to be placed every 100 feet in the desert to accomodate the lawbreakers or would you prefer soda and orange juice instead?


@JohnQ.Public How about instead of spening millions or billions of dollars on border fences and agents we simply plant landmines instead. Of course we'd post signs that say "cross at your own risk".  That should solve the problem because not even illegals would take the chance of getting their legs blown off to cross illegally.


@JoeArpaioFan How about you stop acting like a fucking moron, racist pig and dumbass troll on these boards?  That would be a much better starting place than anything else that you could possibly propose.

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