There have been several recent reports from the U.S.-Mexico border of smugglers abandoning migrants, which is creating an even more dangerous situation, as officials warn against the dangers of crossing the border.
“The vast Southwest desert is cruel to those who aren’t prepared for it,” said John R. Modlin, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, on Twitter. “And smugglers, who care nothing for the life of a migrant, are worse. Illegally entering the United States from Mexico can mean abandonment, injury and even death. Don’t risk your life.”
Douglas Station agents located two unaccompanied children last week, Modlin said in another tweet.
“The brothers, 5 and 8, were abandoned by smugglers at the border near Douglas, but were quickly rescued by agents. Outstanding job by our Tucson Sector agents for bringing these to children safety. #HonorFirst”
There was also a recent incident where 113 migrants were abandoned by smugglers in the remote, harsh environment of Arizona. This is just one example of several such incidents.
In March, Mexican authorities found a group of 343 migrants and refugees abandoned in a freight truck container on the side of a highway. This group included 103 unaccompanied minors, a majority of whom were from Guatemala, The Associated Press reported. It was unclear why the driver abandoned them, and none of the migrants were harmed.
In June 2022, over 50 migrants died in a tractor trailer in San Antonio after being left in the heat, the deadliest smuggling case in U.S. history, ABC News reported. Those migrants paid their own way to cross into the U.S. illegally, only to die from the neglect of their human smugglers. There are many more incidents like this.
More than 850 migrants died along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, a record high, CBS News reported. The number of migrant deaths has risen for two straight years, as the over 500 deaths recorded in 2021 was a record at the time. These deaths also do not account for the number of deaths of migrants attempting to reach the U.S. border, as the U.S. only counts those who died on U.S. territory.
There were reportedly 1.7 million encounters at the border in 2021 and a record 2.3 million in 2022, Fox News reported.
There was a 25% increase in the number of migrants apprehended after crossing the border illegally in March, a total of over 162,000 apprehensions, compared to about 130,000 in February, according to CBS News. U.S. officials are expecting that once the COVID-era Title 42 rule lifts in early May, up to 400,000 migrants will cross the southern border every month.
