Between 2016 and the first half of 2024, Mexican authorities located 1,692 bodies of migrants on the border with the United States who died in their attempt to cross into the United States and who have not yet been identified, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During this period, the number of unidentified deceased migrants reached its peak in 2021 when 294 were recorded.
According to the information, the most common cause of death is health complications, dehydration, drowning and accidents during their journey.
The insured castaways intended to reach the coasts of the United States, but were swept away by the sea currents
In addition, the records of the Mexican Consulates on the border indicate that the most dangerous crossings are those of Tucson, Arizona and MacAllen and Laredo, in Texas, followed by Calexico, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The most common age at which Mexicans tend to try to migrate to the United States is between 26 and 35 years old; 36 to 45; and 18 to 25.
The United States is about to be governed by Donald Trump, who comes to the presidency with the promise of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.
Donald Trump has maintained a tough stance on immigration. When he came to the presidency in 2017, he made migration one of the central issues of his administration, promoting measures to restrict the entry of migrants, strengthen border security and reduce irregular immigration.
Among his most emblematic proposals was the construction of a border wall, partially financed through budget reallocations, and the implementation of policies that tightened access to asylum in the United States.
During his administration, programs such as Remain in Mexico were introduced, which forced asylum seekers to wait on Mexican territory while their cases were resolved in US courts. This policy increased the pressure on Mexico, which faced the massive arrival of migrants stranded in border cities such as Tijuana, Matamoros and Ciudad Juárez.
AROUND 1,700 BODIES UNIDENTIFIED
In addition, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican products if the Mexican government did not strengthen immigration control, leading the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador to deploy the National Guard and reinforce measures on the southern border.
At the same time, immigration restrictions and the separation of families on the southern border, under the “zero tolerance” policy, provoked international condemnation and criticism from human rights organizations.
During his administration between 2017 and 2021, Trump deported 1.5 million migrants. Despite his anti-immigration speeches, other US administrations have deported more: under Barack Obama (his predecessor), five million people were deported between 2009 and 2017, and under Joe Biden, the US deported around 1.4 million people.
Undocumented border crossings by Mexicans into the United States continue to be a humanitarian crisis due to the health risks they entail, given that migrants often face obstacles such as insecurity and climate impacts.
US President-elect Donald Trump has announced a series of immigration policies that he plans to implement upon taking office on January 20, 2025.
Trump has promised to carry out the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, describing this operation as the largest in US history. To do so, he plans to establish a “Deportation Force” and use legal tools such as “expedited removal,” which allows for rapid deportations without the need for court hearings.
In addition, the president-elect has expressed his intention to eliminate automatic citizenship for people born in the United States to undocumented parents, defying the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which has granted this right since the 19th century. This measure would require a constitutional amendment, which involves a complex and lengthy legal process.
Source: oem
