Photo: APU GOMES / AFP / Getty Images
Published Sep 13, 2023, 1:13 am EDT
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) registered 686 dead or missing migrants along the border between the United States and Mexico during the year 2022, which has made it the most dangerous land migratory route in the world.
The figure is practically half of the 1,457 deaths and disappearances of migrants documented in the Americas in 2022, the deadliest year on record since IOM’s Missing Migrants Project (MMP) began operations in 2014.
“These alarming figures are a stark reminder of the need for strong action by States,” said Michele Klein Solomon, IOM Regional Director for North, Central America and the Caribbean.
“Improving data collection is crucial. Because then the States will work on the basis of that data to ensure that there are safe and regular migration routes,” he continued.
However, The outlook could be worse, since it is estimated that these figures represent the lowest estimates available and it is possible that in reality the amount is higher since many deaths and disappearances are not recorded because there is no data from official sources.
While data shows that deaths and disappearances on the US-Mexico border decreased by 8% compared to last year, the 2022 figure is possibly higher than available information indicates, as Official data is missing, including from the border county coroner’s offices in Texas and the Mexican search and rescue agency..
Data
The leading causes of death on the US-Mexico border were drowning, with 212 cases, vehicle accidents or deaths linked to dangerous transportation, 71, and extreme environmental conditions and lack of adequate shelter, food and water, 156.
Almost half of the deaths occurred in the Sonoran deserts, on the border of the United States and Mexico, and Chihuahua, the largest in North America.
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