US Border Patrol records 557 migrant deaths on Mexico border in 2021 fiscal year: Report

The US Border Patrol recorded more migrant deaths on the country’s southern border in the fiscal year 2021 than in any prior year on record, CNN reported citing data shared by the agency. As per the media outlet, there were around 557 Southwest border deaths during the fiscal year, which ended on 30 September. The numbers are up from 254 deaths in the fiscal year 2020 and 300 deaths in 2019, marking a significant increase. 

The Border Patrol agency revealed that a majority of migrant border deaths have been related to heat exposure. Other than that, the agency said that several additional factors also led to an increase in recorded deaths, including more people crossing the border and an increased effort by the agency to work with the nation’s law enforcement partners to identify and document cases.

It is to mention that the Border Patrol reports data on deaths where agents find the body or are involved in emergency response. The figures are not representative of all migrant border deaths, as other states and agencies may recover bodies without the involvement of the Border Patrol. Therefore, the number of deaths is likely to be higher. 

US border crisis 

Meanwhile, the latest report comes amid a time when the Biden administration is grappling with the unprecedented number of migrants crossing the US. It also comes after Human Rights Watch released internal DHS files of more than 160 reports of alleged misconduct and abuse of asylum seekers by border officers. The rights group looked into events between 2016 and 2021 that range from child sexual assault to enforced hunger, threats of rape and brutal detention conditions. They also noted that some of the incidents involve alleged criminal activity by federal agents. 

According to federal documents, detention and arrests at United States’ southern border have also hit an all-time high in 2021. As per the data from US Customs and Border Protection, more than 1.7 million migrants were detained at the border during the past 12 months, making it the highest figure in any fiscal year in history. The numbers surged in the recent months when there was a massive surge in migration to the US-Mexico border that peaked during the summer.

Image: AP