Migrant death toll up to 164 in El Paso region

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Migrant encounters have plateaued in the El Paso region, after several weeks of steep declines.

The U.S. Border Patrol is reporting an average of 411 daily encounters in August along an El Paso Sector that runs from Hudspeth County, Texas, to the New Mexico-Arizona state line. That compares with the 374.6 daily encounters recorded in July, per the U.S. Customs and Border Protection official website .

Border Patrol encounters by month in the El Paso Sector

Most recent encounters are being reported in the vicinity of the Santa Teresa (New Mexico) Station. That includes Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, the desert west of that community and empty stretches south of NM State Road 9.

The mountain has long been the site of emergency rescues of migrants who begin the climb in Mexico and slip into deep ravines or are abandoned by smugglers for not being able to keep up with a group. The stretch of desert south of NM State Road 273 (McNutt Drive) and south of NM 9 (Columbus Highway) has become a graveyard for others who lose their bearings in extreme heat after climbing down the border wall.

The Border Patrol on Monday told Border Report it has rescued 845 migrants in dire straits since last Oct. 1. And, as of Aug. 19, come upon 164 bodies. The migrant fatalities in the region are up 18.5 percent since July 25 and have now surpassed last year’s total death toll of 149.

Migrant advocates warned that rejecting migrants turning themselves in between ports of entry — as per the June 4 Biden administration executive order — would lead them to place themselves in the hands of smugglers or trying to come across through desolate, dangerous areas . It’s not known, however, how many of the fatalities were people intent on seeking asylum, or economic migrants or foreign nationals who’ve been removed in the past.

The top nationalities being apprehended in the El Paso Sector in August are Mexicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, Venezuelans and Ecuadorian, the Border Patrol said.

The agency late last month appealed to persons already in the U.S. to n ot encourage or send money to pay smugglers to their relatives abroad who are not otherwise eligible for admission.

And on Monday, it reminded people contemplating entering the U.S. illegally there will be legal consequences if they do it.

“The U.S. Border Patrol continues to enforce U.S. immigration law and applies consequences to those who do not have a legal basis to remain in the United States,” the agency said in an email to Border Report. “These consequences include placing individuals in expedited removal proceedings, allowing border agents to quickly repatriate individuals, referring criminal prosecution on migrants seeking to evade apprehension, repeat offenders, those with a criminal history and those involved in smuggling efforts.”

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