Ariz. border death rates climb as illegal crossings dip
By Brady McCombs
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.16.2009

Illegal border crossers face a deadlier trek than ever across Arizona’s desert.

The risk of dying is 1.5 times higher today compared to five years ago and 17 times greater than in 1998, the Arizona Daily Star’s border death database shows.

That’s a significant increase considering the initial spike of deaths in Arizona occurred between 2000-2002.

Through the first seven months of fiscal year 2009, there were 61 known deaths per 100,000 apprehensions in the area covered in the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector. That’s up from 39 known deaths per 100,000 apprehensions in 2004.

The increased risk of death parallels the historic buildup of agents, fences, roads and technology along the U.S.-Mexico border, calling into question one of the Border Patrol’s mantras that a “secure border is a safe border.â€