2010 may see new high in border-crossing deaths

2010 has seen illegal immigration become firmly embedded as a point of contention in the partisan warfare dominating today's political environment.  The passage of Arizona's immigration law SB1070 (partially blocked by a District Court injunction) earlier this year set the tone.  Cable-news chatter about "anchor babies" birthed in the U.S. by undocumented immigrant mothers has accompanied calls for the repeal of birthright citizenship from Republican politicians such as Lindsey Graham and John McCain, who  just four years ago worked on comprehensive immigration reform with Democrat Ted Kennedy. 

Amid the politics, undocumented migrants continue to pay a human cost in their attempts to enter the U.S. Although illegal immigration as a whole is down in 2010, stronger border enforcement in California and Arizona has pushed attempted migrants to the most inhospitable desert routes, and not without consequence.  The Times' Nicole Santa Cruz reports:

This year, Arizona became known as the state with the toughest policies against illegal immigration. That's why Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Eric Peters didn't think the Pima County coroner would see a surge in migrants killed while trying to cross Arizona's southern deserts.

But despite beefed-up efforts to stem illegal immigration and an economy that makes work harder to come by, migrants are still trying to get into the country. And many are dying.

In 2007, a record 218 bodies were found in Pima County. This year, the death toll could be worse. Already, authorities have recovered the remains of 170 migrants.

"We're kind of looking at a record-breaking year this year," Peters said.

Continue reading: "Border deaths in Arizona may break record."

Advocacy groups such as Humane Borders, which maintains water stations at and near the U.S.-Mexico border, are working to reduce the deaths.  But as long as migrants see no alternative to the crossing, the border will continue to take its toll.  

-- Daniel Siegal

Photo: Volunteers inspect a backpack found in Pima County, Arizona.  Credit: John Moore, Getty Images / July 30, 2010

Comments

[edgar yanz]

its mest up

[JD]

Personal accountability, can be rewarding when done right, or costly when done wrong. When an individual risk life or limb it is a personal choice, fire fighters, law enforcement, military, commercial fishers, and even off shore drillers risk life and limb every day, doing it the right way, and are honored for it, attempting to cross the border illegally in extreme heat, is illegal, and dangerous, and foolish, because the consequences are 1. BEING CAUGHT AND RETURNED, BEING CAUGHT AFTER BEING SETTLED AND BEING DEPORTED, BEING ROBBED OR RAPPED BY PIRATES, AND IN MANY CASES DEATH FROM THE ELEMENTS.

The right thing for Americans to do, is petitioning our elected officials, and mandating they do everything they can, to seal the border, stop all the blather, and talking points. And protect Americans national security from all potential threat.

[John Berry]

Mexico needs to stop encouraging it's people to go to the US by any means necessary.
The people who die on the border or arrive and then get deported bear sole responsibility for what happens to them. Regardless of how bad things are in thier own country, it is not enough to risk death from any number of causes to violate the laws of another country.
it is easy to feel sorry for them, but the real truth is that we are not doing a thing to them. They are doing it all to themselves.

[David Nichols]

"An Economy that makes work harder to come by."

January 2008 = The Start of the E-verify Law, and the I.C.E. Deportaion/Incarceration of America's hardest most Devoted Workers.

January 2008 = The Start of "The Worst Recession in U.S. History."

This is No Co-incidence!

Arizona's SB1070, has once again sent Forclosures soaring, and home values plummeting!

All States that had a mass exodus of "Good" hard working Immigrants are now in Total Economic Disaster.

The vacated dwellings caused mass forclosures, massive closures of related buisinesses, and the excess dwellings now make States like Arizona completely overbuilt, halting both Construction and Growth, costing millions of Americans their jobs.

Since the U.S. Census Bureau counted these Immigrants the same as all American Reisidents for nearly thirty years to base the Total size of our Government Services on, States now have massive Excesses of Government both State and Fefderal, and are trying toraise taxes to make up for the State Budget Shortfalls.

A very wise 1840's French Historian said: "America is great because it is good, when it ceasses to be good, it ceases to be great."

Deporting Parents away form thier families, and even "Legal" Citizen Children is not "GOOD".

How many of the Dead "Humans" at the Border had been deported/Dumped their with out even a drop of water and decided to Die trying to walk across the Harsh Desert in hopes of seeing their families, or children?

How many Innocent "Humans" have been kidnapped, possibly killed by Border Vigillanties, including White Supramists, and even Nazi's?

To: Good and Brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.