The IOM, a United Nations migration agency, recently called the U.S.-Mexico border the world’s deadliest overland migration route. Michele Klein Solomon, IOM’s regional director for Central and North America and the Caribbean, believes certain things need to be done in order to help the safety of migrants.

"These alarming figures are a stark reminder of the need for decisive action by States," Solomon said in a press release. "Enhancing data collection is crucial. Ultimately, what is needed is for countries to act on the data to ensure safe, regular migration routes are accessible."

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, there were at least 686 deaths and disappearances in 2022, with about half of those due to the dangerous crossing of migrants through the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. This number is on the low end of estimates according to the IOM, as many deaths were likely not recorded, according to the release.

The numbers at the border are not consistent across the board, playing into what Solomon is saying about the need for better data collection, as CBS News reported that over 850 migrants died along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, a record high.

According to Fox News, there were reportedly 1.7 million encounters at the border in 2021 and a record 2.3 million in 2022.

According to IOM, there were around 1,457 migrant deaths and disappearances in the Americas recorded in 2022, the largest figure on record. Certain places are more dangerous than others, such as the Darien Gap, the treacherous jungle between Panama and Colombia, which claimed 141 migrant deaths in 2022. Other figures of note include the increasing danger for migrants traveling in the Caribbean, which saw a 42% increase in deaths in 2022.

In a press release about these figures, Marcelo Pisani, IOM regional director for South America, stated that there isn’t much known about the migrants who go missing. He said this “grim reality” is especially difficult for the families of the migrants, who “search endlessly” for their loved ones.