Migrant deaths mounting in desert west of El Paso
by: Julian Resendiz
Posted: May 31, 2023 / 04:57 PM CDT
Updated: May 31, 2023 / 05:52 PM CDT
Sunland Park records 8 fatalities in less than a month; Juarez pastor tries to persuade those ineligible for asylum to avoid deadly desert path
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The desert west of El Paso has claimed eight lives in May alone, and officials fear the death toll will rise as temperatures climb.
“Last year, we had 16 to 17 deaths, so to have eight in one month is quite high,” said Daniel Medrano, fire chief in Sunland Park, New Mexico, just across the Texas state line. “We are not sure what is going on. We do believe most of them to be migrants.”
The fatalities began in the second week of May, which roughly coincides with the end of Title 42 migrant expulsions and requirements to apply for asylum online. Since then, most migrants coming into the U.S. between ports of entry have been placed on Title 8 removal procedures that carry penalties including a five-year ban on future immigration benefits and possible criminal charges for repeat offenders.
https://www.borderreport.com/regions/new-mexico/migrant-deaths-mounting-in-desert-west-of-el-paso/
