Bodies of Nearly 100 Dead Immigrants Found in Arizona Desert Since October
The bodies of 97 undocumented immigrants were found in the arid Arizona desert over the past 10 months, according to U.S. Border Patrol.
According to Fox News Latino, Border Patrol said the latest body found was of a 19-year-old immigrant trying to make the dangerous journey into the United States.
"We got a call from a man asking for help," Andres Adame, spokesman for the Border Patrol in Tuscon, told Fox News Latino. "He told us he was crossing the mountains with his son who was hit by lightning. When the agents arrived he was already dead."
While there has been a decline in the number of undocumented immigrants crossing the border due to an increase in arrests, people are still dying in the desert due to extremely high summer temperatures, as well as storms, which can strike quickly.
"Most of the deaths occur in remote, hard-to-reach areas. If people fall and hurt themselves, they are left to die. Immigrants like to come over the mountains to avoid detection by the Border Patrol, but that's the most dangerous way to go because it's hard to rescue them," Adame said.
Since the beginning of fiscal year 2014, 97 bodies have been found, while 200 bodies were found in fiscal year 2013.
The decline in deceased immigrants is largely due to a higher number of arrests at the border. In the current fiscal year, 83,115 undocumented immigrants have been detained, while 11,570 were detained last fiscal year.
There are also posters disseminated in churchers, shops, shelters and other locations south of the U.S.-Mexico border to warn potential immigrants of the dangers of making the perilous journey across the border. The signs warn migrants what they could face while traveling on foot.
The signs estimate walking times from entry points, as well as the sites of water locations and migrant deaths, according to Humane Borders Inc.
Border Patrol authorities said that people who decide to make the dangerous journey across Arizona should bring a flashlight, mirror and phone with them.
"With the mirror they can be spotted from a helicopter if they are lost or injured, with the phone they can call 911 and with the flashlight they can be seen at night. That can save their lives," Adame said.
Texas Rangers are also investigating the remains of undentified immigrants in Brooks County, Texas. A mass grave was found in June at Sacred Heart Cemetery containing 100 unidentified bodies.
Anthropologists removed more than 200 bodies from the cemetery in the past two years, according to local Texas station KRGV News.
As of June, 33 unidentified bodies were found in the county this year.
Before the mass graves were discovered, few records were kept on the remains of unidentified migrants. Now, pictures and descriptions of the bodies in Brooks County are kept in a record.
The Brooks County Sheriff's Office is imploring the loved ones of immigrants who are believed to have gone missing to provide the office with a full physical description of the person (age, height, weight, etc.), a picture and a sample of DNA from immediate family members.
Meanwhile, Border Control is facing another crisis: high numbers of unaccompanied child migrants crossing into the U.S. from Central America. More than 52,000 unaccompanied child migrants have made the dangerous trek across the border from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras since last October.
The situation has quickly become a humanitarian crisis, but there has not been any movement on legislative efforts to curb the high number of child migrants. Legislation will not move forward until Congress reconvenes after summer recess.