Border Crossing Deaths: A New Record

The number of bodies recovered on the Arizona-Mexico border over the past year has hit a new high, according to reports released Thursday by human rights activists and county coroners.

Over the past fiscal year ending October 1, at least 237 people died trying to cross into Arizona. While most were from Mexico and Central America, almost 40% of the victims remain unidentified.

This year's toll is up from the 205 statewide fatalities registered during the previous 12 month period. The data was released by the Tucson-based Coalicion de Derechos Humanos and is based on the death counts compiled by coroners in the counties bordering Mexico.

The majority of this year's deaths, 206, were recorded in Pima County -- directly south of Tucson in the south-central part of the state. The Bush administration, in escalating its border clamp down, has claimed that overall deaths along the border have dipped.

But the figures released today suggest that the human traffic across the southern border has not been stemmed so much as it has been re-directed and re-channeled through some of the more perilous and uninhabited stretches of the Sonoran desert. This year's death toll for Pima County is the highest on record.

"It has been estimated that the lives of more than 5,000 men, women and children have been lost on the U.S.- Mexico border since the mid-1990s," says a statement released today by the Coalicion which keeps a running count of the fatalities. The recovered body count for Arizona has surpassed 200 since the fiscal year 2002-2003, yet the loss of life has been shockingly described by Border Patrol officials as 'collateral damage,'" said the statement.

It was the Clinton administration which began a concerted effort to shut down traditional crossing routes early in its tenure. In the mid 1990's approximately fifty people a year died along the entire U.S.-Mexican border, Over the last decade, that figure has climbed ten-fold. The 237 deaths this past year in Arizona represent about a half of the total number who have died along the entire California to Texas run of the border.

Comments

[pesojoe]

11:09 AM on 10/12/2007

Only comments you agree with stay posted? Might as well be fox news

[fulano]

09:35 AM on 10/12/2007

quien sabe? seems nothing can stop the mexicans, guatemaltecos, and millions of other native americans crossing our southern borders and moving right back into thier old ancestral lands accross the USA, maybe it's "manifest destiny", maybe this "thanksgiving" they will turn the tables on us and invite us to dinner. God knows european invaders tried "the final solution" by wiping out millions of native americans,
"the only good indian is a dead indian!"

200 or 300 dead on the border, and the idiots here think it's funny or some kind of justice?
very humanitarian sympathy's towards our neighbors, but what goes around comes around,
people that are willing to die that kind of death, take those kind of risks, reminds me of the scene in the "godfather 2" movie when after seeing the rebel cuban blow himself up along with an army captain, hyman roth asks micheal corleone,
"and what does that tell you"

"they can win, says corleone"

hide the white women! the mexicans are coming!

[realitycheck7]

10:20 AM on 10/12/2007

the US cannot afford to support the constant stream of poor south americans, central americans, and mexicans that pour across the border every day.

All it does it strengthen the widening gap between the rich and the poor in this country. The middle class is disappearing. Having no middle class destroys a country more so than any other social factor.

Immigration today is NOT similar to what immigration from Europe was 80 years ago. They came here legally to build a life. Illegals come here now to make money, not pay taxes, and send the money back to their home countries via western union.

They drive down wages so that legal citizens can no longer afford to work those jobs that people say americans won't do. Americans will do those jobs, but can't afford to for slave wages and no health benefits. The third world is slowly but surely descending on our country, and in 100 years, this country will be unrecognizable. The saddest part is that the founding principles of this country, what made it great, will be destroyed as a result. It was a nice experiment for a while I guess.

[LeftLeaner]

09:11 AM on 10/12/2007

I have the solution.

Build a REALLY HIGH FENCE. This will discourage ILLEGAL ALIENS from attempting to cross over - thus reducing the death rate -, and will enhance protection of OUR Border.

Very simple.

[dora rice]

08:20 AM on 10/12/2007

if you play, you gotta pay.

[Warmglobe]

08:13 AM on 10/12/2007

The solution is simple....stay home!

[vippy]

06:59 AM on 10/12/2007

What about ILLEGAL don't people understand.
If we close our eyes about this problem we will
become like them. Those illegals are already
dragging down our wages. Our corporations are only too happy to hire them for more profit for them. Tomatoes won't ever be $ 8.47, even if
we have to import them, isn't that why we have
NAFTA and CAFTA.

[TuffPosh]

11:01 PM on 10/11/2007

Before I took pity on him, I used to make a habit of showing just how wrong Cooper is:
http://marccooper.com/ice-cold#comment-577349
http://marccooper.com/immigration-good-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-455310
http://marccooper.com/back-to-the-border/#comment-341895

In the current case, he's still wrong. No surprise there, of course.

There are only two ways to prevent border deaths:
1. Stringently enforce our laws so only a very small number of people try to cross, or
2. Completely open the borders and pass out citizenships to anyone who asks.

We're never going to do the second, and people like Cooper try to prevent us from doing the first.

Cooper and all those who encourage, apologize for, or support illegal immigration are partly responsible for the border deaths that occur.

[CaptainVideo]

10:42 PM on 10/11/2007

"The majority of this year's deaths, 206, were recorded in Pima County -- directly south of Tucson in the south-central part of the state."

This implies that this area should get first priority in building a fence. Probably at that location a virtual fence using motion detectors and drone planes with infra-red cameras backed by a strong border patrol force would do, so that a physical fence would not be needed.

The sooner we get this border closed, the sooner people will stop dying trying to cross illegaly.

[jaschrod]

08:01 AM on 10/12/2007

The drones should be armed with weapons to fire on suspected law breakers.

[HumeSkeptic]

10:42 PM on 10/11/2007

There is no doubt that we need to secure our borders and stop illegal immigration. However, if the manner in which we implement our laws results in such tragedy, we are not doing things rightly.

Implementation of no law should result in loss of life, except in rare circumstances where it saves other lives.

I would happily accept those who died in the desert as my neighbors and friends.

I hope we can find a solution to stop this.

[wndrwrthg]

12:51 AM on 10/12/2007

i believe a way to secure the borders and impact the number of dying, is to increase our presence on the boder. Watch towers placed at intervals would allow increased scrutiny and a rapid reaction to either intercept or render assistance. Allowing our national guard to train along the border would again increase our visibility, thus perhaps dissuading people from attempting to cross. The national guard would have no police duties but could alert the proper authorities or aid the distressed. The cost could be deducted from funds marked for Iraq.

[CaptainVideo]

02:15 AM on 10/12/2007

"I would happily accept those who died in the desert as my neighbors and friends."

I would conjecture that you have a job whose wage is not suffering from downward pressure by the flood of illegal immigrants.

[getoffmedz]

10:41 PM on 10/11/2007

These innocent people are dying for the greed of the fucking slime that employs them.

All they want is a better life and those who support employers who are never prosecuted, although it IS AGAINST THE LAW TO HIRE ILLEGALS, NEVER GET PUNISHED!

America has become so fucked up!

Y'all better pray this shit doesn't come home to roost? There are lots of these people in this country, now.

[stephm]

10:15 PM on 10/11/2007

I wonder if half the people posting here were born into poverty in Mexico if they too would not be in america illegally. Has anyone here ever been so poor that they did not know if they were going to be able to eat the following day let alone feed their families? I don't pretend to know the answers to this problem, I do think we could all have just a little compassion to our fellow human beings. even if the aren't Americans.

[HumeSkeptic]

10:50 PM on 10/11/2007

Thank you for your very nice post.

Personally, if I found myself in a situation where the only way to feed my family was to break certain laws, I would break the laws. And I would take the risk that these people take.

[CaptainVideo]

11:08 PM on 10/11/2007

I agree. If I had to choose between going hungry or breaking some laws, I would break the laws and not feel I was doing anything wrong.

[jaschrod]

08:10 AM on 10/12/2007

Then you should break your own country's laws, and fight for betterment of your own country. Hell I would have been willing to fight for your rights in your own country, but do not come into my country,and demand anything. I will not back that.

[CLR]

10:59 PM on 10/11/2007

Citizens of other countries can LEGALLY apply to come to the United States. They need to go through legal channels. If they don't then they take their lives into their own hands.
We need to secure the border, deport all ILLEGALS, heavily fine those who hire ILLEGALS, and return to the original intent of the 14th amendment. If we do these things maybe coming ILLEGALLY to the US wouldn't look so tempting.

[deedrdo]

11:22 PM on 10/11/2007

then, when we implement your ingenious plan you'll be bitching because you have to pay $8.47 for a tomato.

[LUCAYANA]

10:10 PM on 10/11/2007

This is truly astounding..and eye-opening. Apparently all you need to do to turn Huffpost into johnbirch.com is broach the unholy subject of illegal (ILLEGAL!) Immigration. It apparently taps the torrent of xenophobia spewing like a punctured sewage line, and this on a liberal website! Deserve to die indeed. These venomous posts make an excellent argument for making ameircans illegal in the rest of the world and doubling the height of the border fence to keep IN!

[Independent voter]

09:15 AM on 10/12/2007

Xenophobia and race have nothing to do with it.

There is a legal way to enter this country - and if a person or family follows that process they are entirely welcome to contribute to and benefit from our society.

However when people come here illegally, it's akin to someone breaking into your house in the middle of the night and robbing you blind. It's not the same thing.

ILLEGAL is such a simple term. But the illegal alien lobby does all that it can to muddy the waters and make stupid proclamations saying that Americans are racists and hate all immigrants. Not so bucko.

[Advocate123]

09:45 PM on 10/11/2007

Explain how this concerns me.

[HumeSkeptic]

10:17 PM on 10/11/2007

Were you a human being, it would concern you.

[Larenzo]

09:35 PM on 10/11/2007

Well, for some reason my tear ducts just don't pour out tears for people illegally entering this country and die in doing so.

[CaptainVideo]

10:12 PM on 10/11/2007

If we build a solid, secure fence along the entire border no illegal immigrants will die trying to cross the border illegaly. And we would only need a physical fence in populated areas. In thinly populated and unpopulated areas a virtual fence using motion detectors and drone planes with infra-red cameras backed by a strong border patrol would do the job. If illegal immigrants cross illegaly in a hostile desert the motion detectors would detect them and the drone planes would follow them. Border patrol members would get to them and provide them with water before they suffered serious dehydration, and then out they go. Once they learn that they cannot get into the country without being detected, they will stop trying.

[deedrdo]

11:28 PM on 10/11/2007

we have 4000 miles of unsecured border between the us and canada and another 1500 miles between alaska and british columbia. add to that 2000 miles between the US and mexico and, holy sweet cheeses, you must be out of your freakin' mind to think something like that will happen or is even physically or economically feasable.

what's your next bright idea?

[sparkandy]

06:14 AM on 10/13/2007

I once had friend who wanted to develop a supersloth. These sloths would look like regular sloths, just lolling around the border. However, these sloths would have been genetically engineered to pounce with the speed of a hawk nailing a mouse. Illegals would be crossing the border and think, "Oh, sloths. They're slow and don't pose a threat." Then just as the illegals set foot on US soil, the sloths would pounce and claw them to death. A few sloth attacks would so horrify the other illegals trying to cross that it would stop the problem entirely.
It's about as practical as a fence. The best way to stop illegals from draining our economy is to punish those who hire them and stop letting them suck our social service infrastructure dry.

[Harrier]

09:06 PM on 10/11/2007

Statistically a 10% variation may be insignificant. I believe the numbers of illegals crossing increased by a lot more than that. I would imagine the Minutemen have also saved a lot of lives by identifying illegals as they cross both borders.

If we had more border guards more illegals could be prevented from dying