The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) declared the U.S.-Mexico border the deadliest land border crossing after documenting 686 deaths and disappearances of migrants on in 2022. Tuesday’s announcement noted the toll for migrant disappearances and deaths throughout the Americas is the deadliest year on record since the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project (MMP) began.
Although data compiled during the Missing Migrant Project annual overview showed that deaths and disappearances along the U.S.-Mexico border decreased by 6 per cent from the previous year, the report indicates the death toll is likely higher than the available information suggests, due to missing official data. The death toll does not include information from Texas border county coroner’s offices and the Mexican search and rescue agency, Grupo BETA.
Migrants continue to cross the Rio Grande into Eagle Pass, Texas. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Nearly half of all the migrant deaths recorded in 2022 along the U.S.-Mexico border occurred during attempts to cross the desolate Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts that cover parts of northern Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Current reporting shows this area will likely prove deadly in 2023 as well. In August, the Tucson Border Patrol led the nation in migrant deaths — most a result of heat related illness in the remote desert areas outside populated cities.
The death count recorded by the Border Patrol also faces data integrity shortfalls as the migrant death reports compiled by the agency do not include those whose bodies were recovered by other law enforcement agencies further inland from the border area that do not involve Border Patrol personnel or resources in the recovery.
The dangers for migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border begin long before reaching the United States. Along the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, the IOM noted 141 migrant deaths in 2022. Current immigration figures for migrants attempting to cross through the Darien are increasing according to government officials in Panama.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, in August, Maria Isabel Saravia, Panama’s deputy director of migration, told reporters the number of migrants who traveled through the deadly jungle pathway since January broke previous yearly records. Officials estimate the total regional crossings could hit 400,000 by the year’s end.
The hazards posed by the jungle include several rivers with current flows that increase significantly during the rainy season. The jungle hosts an abundance of wildlife, including jaguars, pumas, and wild hogs. Aside from the natural hazards of the habitat, the Darien is home to violent drug and contraband traffickers, paramilitary groups, and guerillas.
Those successfully making the trek through the Darien are contributing to a rising number of migrants being encountered at the southwest border. Border Patrol agents apprehended just under 180,000 migrants in August, according to unofficial reports obtained by Breitbart Texas. This represents an increase of about 35 percent over July and is just under the total from August 2022.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.