The U.S. is the most popular destination in the world for migrants looking for a better life, but the journey to get there can be dangerous. The U.S.-Mexico border is the world’s deadliest migration route for those traveling by foot.
Hundreds of migrants are dying and disappearing along the route to the border. Moving north from South America, migrants must cross rivers, climb through the world’s thickest jungles, and navigate deserts.
In 2022, 1,457 people died along migration routes throughout the Americas, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration.
Nearly half of all deaths and disappearances happen in the last leg of the journey in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.
The international agency said 2022 was the deadliest year on record, aligning with the Border Patrol’s fiscal year statistics. Migrant deaths at the border tripled in two years, and the agency recovered more bodies than ever.
Data from the Border Patrol’s report show a dramatic spike in two years, from 247 deaths in 2020 to 853 in fiscal year 2022.
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The dangers of the route are not serving as a deterrent for migrants. According to Fox News, a 10-year-old boy drowned crossing a river into Eagle Pass, Texas on Wednesday, Sept. 13.
Holding facilities in Arizona and California are experiencing overcrowding. Agents have been given the okay to drop hundreds of migrants in San Diego and Tucson as the Biden administration continues to face an ongoing border crisis.
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