Topline
Nearly 750 migrants have died along the southern border during fiscal year 2022, according to Department of Homeland Security data obtained by CNN–a number that shatters the previous annual record as the U.S. grapples with a historic migrant surge.
Haitian migrant Jean Philippe Jocelin (R), followed by his wife, Berline, and their son, line up to … [+]
Key Facts
Some 748 deaths have been confirmed since the fiscal year started on October 1, according to CNN, but that number will almost certainly rise before the fiscal year ends on September 30.
The figure is already almost 200 more than the 557 deaths reported in fiscal year 2021, which was the old record.
It’s not clear if there was a singular cause for the massive uptick in deaths, but the Southwest has been plagued by a series of heat waves and is experiencing what’s believed to be its worst drought in 1,200 years, and extreme heat exposure has been a common cause of migrant deaths along the border in the past.
Migration to the U.S. has skyrocketed over the past two years, with Border Patrol agents arresting more than 200,000 people along the border each month between March and June.
The number dipped just below 200,000 in July, the most recent month for which figures are available, but that’s still almost five times the amount arrested in July 2020.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
The migrant surge has become a point of political tension between liberals and conservatives in the U.S., and President Joe Biden appears stuck in the middle, facing criticism from both sides. Conservatives, notably Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), have slammed Biden for not enacting tougher security measures at the border, while many Democrats have urged the White House to provide more humanitarian aid. Biden’s approval ratings when it comes to handling the border are by far his worst marks on any major issue. Only 27% of respondents in a recent Quinnipiac University poll said they approved of Biden’s border policies—a number that drops to 24% among independents. But the border doesn’t seem to be at the front of many voters’ minds right now—only 8% of those polled said immigration is the most pressing issue facing the country, placing it behind inflation, climate change, abortion and gun violence.
Surprising Fact
Many migrants crossing into the U.S. are not Mexican nationals, in a major shift from earlier waves of migration. Rising political and economic stability in South and Central America appears to be the primary factor behind the shift.
Tangent
Abbott has launched a busing program for migrants released from federal custody in Texas, offering them taxpayer funded, one-way trips to Washington, D.C., New York City or Chicago. Abbott said Texas started busing as a form of protest against the Biden Administration’s plans to end Title 42, a Trump-era policy that rapidly deported asylum seekers from the U.S., but the White House slammed the effort as a “publicity stunt.” A federal judge has indefinitely delayed plans to end Title 42 as it faces legal challenges.
Further Reading
First on CNN: A record number of migrants have died crossing the US-Mexico border (CNN)
Texas Now Busing Migrants To New York City—Mayor Adams Warns City Services Stretching Thin (Forbes)
Judge Blocks Biden Administration From Ending Title 42 Migrant Policy (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/09/07/record-number-of-migrants-died-at-southern-border-over-past-year-report-says/