Laura Mae Williams, who works for the New Mexico Medical Investigator’s Office, has been visiting the U.S.-Mexico borderlands multiple times a week in recent summers to recover bodies of migrants who have died after crossing the border. The number of bodies recovered in the desert just west of El Paso has increased significantly in recent years, with 121 sets of remains recovered so far this year, compared to just a handful a few years ago.
The spike in deaths is attributed to the extreme heat in the desert, with temperatures often reaching well into the triple digits. Many migrants are not well-hydrated or well-fed, having spent days in poor conditions in smugglers’ safe houses. First responders, elected officials, and advocates in New Mexico believe that Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which hardened the border in El Paso and prompted smugglers to use routes in New Mexico, is a major factor in the increased deaths.
Officials also blame smugglers for the deaths, noting that they often abandon migrants who fall behind in the desert after taking their phones. The New Mexico Medical Investigator’s Office marks the deaths as accidental, but questions whether leaving a person in the desert to die should be considered homicide by neglect.
Overall, the spike in migrant deaths in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands highlights the dangers of attempting to cross the border in remote and inhospitable areas, as enforcement efforts push smuggling routes away from urban areas into more dangerous crossings.
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