Mexico Says Number of Migrants Who Died While Unlawfully Crossing Into the U.S. Has Doubled Since Trump Took Office

Experts attribute the increase to harsher enforcement policies, including a renewed military presence and physical barriers at the border. "These policies are pushing migrants toward more clandestine and remote routes in an attempt to evade the heightened surveillance," said Javier Urbano, coordinator of the Migration Affairs Program at Universidad Iberoamericana, in an interview with El Sol de México. "In these areas many remains are never found and therefore not counted in official statistics."

Pedro Rios, of the American Friends Service Committee, told Border Report that the lack of identification often stems from smugglers advising migrants to discard personal documents before crossing:

"When people make their way into the United States, oftentimes, people that are smuggling them will tell them to get rid of all your identifying information. So, if they pass away in the desert or in the mountains they have no identifying information; It's much more difficult for the families to be able to find out what happen to them"

According to the SRE, most deaths are occurring along the Arizona-Sonora border, where desert conditions can exceed 50°C during the day and fall below freezing at night. The main causes of death include drowning, dehydration, and hypothermia. The SRE also noted a 22% rise over the past three years in the number of women and children among the deceased.