TUCSON, Arizona – In a remote area near Phoenix, Arizona, a Pinal County resident last March found human remains believed to be an undocumented immigrant. And the fear is that with the increase in border crossing and the arrival of heat, deaths in the desert these findings will skyrocket.
The crossing of undocumented immigrants does not stop at the border and, according to the radio public, in March more 170 were intercepted, 000, the highest figure since 2006.
With this new wave of immigrants trying to reach the United States by any means and the greater vigilance in Texas, where they must cross the Rio Grande (or Bravo, as it is known in Mexico), increases the risk that in the coming months the undocumented adventure through the Arizona desert.
Although many of the immigrant families and unaccompanied minors who are crossing the border voluntarily surrender immediately to the Border Patrol to be prosecuted, migrant advocates fear for those who enter ernan in the desert trying to avoid detection by the authorities at all costs.
A body found on the border
In early March, a Pinal County resident called authorities to report the discovery of human remains near Sunland Gin Road, about 130 miles or miles from the border and in a desert area.
Pinal County Sheriff’s Department officers found remains of a human skeleton, bones scattered and a skull.
The human remains were found along with pieces of camouflage clothing, a backpack and water bottles painted black, objects commonly used by migrants to cross the desert.
Bottles or gallons of water are painted black to prevent the water from emitting any glare in the sunlight that could give them away to Border Patrol agents.
“We may never know the cause of death of this person , maybe he died from an injury, a violent attack or dehydration, “said Pinal County Sheriff, Mark Lamb .
Although the color The white of the bones found may be an indication that the death may have occurred long ago, Lamb considers that it may be a preamble that it could be seen in the coming months due to the increase in the migratory flow.
“At the moment there are possibly many more people crossing and l desert, perhaps some of them face the same fate. I’m sure my officers will find a lot more human remains before the year is out, ”said the bailiff.
A death trap
Pinal’s was one of 32 undocumented migrant deaths recorded during the first three months of 2021 at the Arizona border, according to the database of the Compassionate Borders group.
Although the figure is lower than the 55 deaths registered last year during the same period, this already exceeds the 22 deaths recorded during the first three months of the 2019.
The 2020 was considered one of the deadliest years for migrants in the Arizona border , reporting a total of 227 deaths.
Est he figure is the highest in more than a decade, when the 2010 recorded the record number of 224 deaths.
“These are only the bodies that have been found, we don’t really know how many people have died in this region, ”said Mike Kreyche, representative of Compassionate Borders.
This organization on its website has an interactive map that shows the places where the bodies and human remains of possible undocumented persons are found.
The base This data is based on the numbers of cases documented by the Pima County Border Medical Examiner’s Office.
Recently this office began to count not only deaths that occur in border counties, but also in counties such as Maricopa, due to the fact that some migrants die in these regions when entering the interior of the state.
The first reported death in April
Deaths have already begun recording this April, after this weekend the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office reported an emergency call about three immigrants lost in the desert.
Border Patrol agents managed to locate the group, but a woman of Mexican origin had already died.
Since 2001 the remains of 3 have been recovered, 365 undocumented immigrants on the Arizona border.
The increase in the migratory flow plus the arrival of summer and with it, the temperatures that easily exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees centigrade) can be a lethal combination.
The vast majority of immigrant deaths are due to harsh desert climate, die from dehydration or from diseases that they already suffered and that are complicated by the physical effort they make when walking for days.
However, humanitarian groups such as No More Deaths, whose volunteers place food and water in the Arizona desert for the sole purpose of saving lives, have publicly held the Border Patrol responsible for some of these deaths.
In its most recent report published last February, the humanitarian group assures that the Border Patrol abandons migrants who are reported as lost to their fate, this despite the efforts of relatives to mobilize their resources to search for them.
By María León