Thread: Dying to Get In: Mexican Immigrant Death Facts and Figures

Dying to Get In: Mexican Immigrant Death Facts and Figures

Sylvia Cochran
Tue Dec 7, 4:29 pm ET

ANALYSIS | Stereotyped as sneaking across the border in the dead of night, it is not widely known that illegal aliens frequently risk their lives when crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. Ever wonder what the real facts and figures are?

The Border Patrol offers the number 1,954, when counting the illegal border-crossers who died when trying to get into the United States between 1998 and 2004. In 2005, 271 illegal aliens lost their lives at the border between Mexico and Arizona alone, while all along the border the total number of dead immigrants was 500. Between October 2009 and September 2010, 253 illegal alien deaths occurred at the Arizona border.

Not factored into the numbers are the near-deaths. In 2006 there were 99 rescues in San Diego, 323 in Yuma, 817 in Tucson, 458 in El Paso and so on. While the individual nature of these rescues is uncertain, it stands to reason that the number of immigrant deaths could be quite a bit higher were it not for Border Patrol agents, local law enforcement and also private citizens who seek, find and rescue those dying in the desert, hurt in accidents or nearly drowning in rivers.

Keep in mind that these figures only deal with the known fatalities. There is certainly an underground figure of would-be immigrants killed by their traffickers, dead and hidden in the desert or swept away by river waters. It is virtually unknowable what this dark figure might be.

Who is to blame for immigrant deaths along the border between the United States and Mexico?

The libertarian-minded will squarely point the finger at the illegal aliens who cross the border in the heat of the summer and are not only unprepared for the weather but also taking deadly risks with wildlife and terrain. At the same time, it is important to also point a finger at the human trafficker, who promises that America is "just over that hill" but fails to point a dangerously dehydrated illegal immigrant to the nearby highway where a border patrol van might lead to discovery and rescue.

Blame may be laid at the feet of unscrupulous American business owners who knowingly employ illegal aliens to not only benefit from their cheap labor, but who also make the United States a welcoming opportunity for others in search of a quick fix to their local poverty. Last but not least, there are the consumers who do business with these companies in spite of well-publicized inquiries, ICE raids and mass firings.

Do not forget to also place responsibility at the feet of corrupt Mexican government officials who routinely accept blood money for turning a blind eye while their country has become a dictatorship governed by drug lords.

Immigrant advocates blame the public's cries for -- and the Obama administration's compliance with -- an increase in border security. With more Border Patrol agents visible along the easy entry points, illegal aliens seek out the more difficult terrains that are also much more dangerous to traverse.

Is the United States' current immigration policy truly to blame for immigrant deaths? Is it America's humanitarian duty to prevent illegal aliens from dying in the desert?


http://news.yahoo.com

How do these numbers compare to the number of people who attempt the illegal crossing? Without knowing that we don't really know how dangerous illegally crossing the border is.

Another boo-hoo story. It is the ILLGALS fault. Nobody forced them. If you wanna risk your life to come here so you can get everything for free, so be it. I will save my sympathy for the Americans killed by these people.

Those numbers are only a fraction of the number immigrants who make it in here alive.

Is the United States' current immigration policy truly to blame for immigrant deaths? Is it America's humanitarian duty to prevent illegal aliens from dying in the desert?

NO! It's mexico's duty to take care of them - which they fail at miserably!

This border patrol guy was on the radio the other day talking about the rugged desert areas in Arizona where you can spot the frequent trails used by illegals. He was perplexed by all these make-shift campsights that had bras and panties hanging from tree branches like flags. He later discovered that these were "rape camps" where the female illegals are forced to give up sex in exchange for being helped across the border. So these are the kind of low-lifes we're allowing to flood into our country by the millions.

Course I wouldn't be surprised if its also a ploy by the females to get knocked up as soon as they hit American soil so they can pop out an anchor baby.