UN agency records at least 686 deaths, disappearances in 2022 during record-breaking year for fatalities in Americas.
The United States-Mexico border has been identified as the most treacherous land route for migrants, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In 2022, there were a minimum of 686 recorded deaths and disappearances in this area alone.
In a statement published on Tuesday, the IOM stated that the figure, although likely an underestimate due to limited official data, accounted for nearly half of the total of 1,457 migrant deaths and disappearances reported across the Americas last year.
2022 marked the deadliest year for migration-related fatalities in the region since the United Nations agency began keeping records in 2014.
“These distressing numbers serve as a strong reminder of the urgent action required from governments,” said Michele Klein Solomon, the IOM’s regional director for Central and North America and the Caribbean.
“Improving data collection is crucial. Ultimately, countries need to utilize this data to establish safe and regular migration routes.”
Hundreds of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers have undertaken arduous and dangerous journeys through South and Central America and Mexico, all with the hope of reaching the US border to seek protection.
Many are fleeing various crises in their home countries, such as violence, poverty, and political persecution.
Since assuming office in early 2021, US President Joe Biden has witnessed a surge in border crossings. Consequently, he has implemented new restrictions and launched initiatives aimed at discouraging people from seeking asylum at the border.
These measures include a rule stating that individuals must have applied for asylum in countries they crossed before seeking asylum in the US. Rights groups have criticized this policy as an “asylum ban.”
The Biden administration has also established “safe mobility” centers in Latin America, enabling asylum seekers to apply for US protection in third countries rather than at the Mexican border.
Despite these initiatives, migrants and asylum seekers continue to make their way to the border due to safety concerns in the region and processing delays. Experts and human rights advocates are urging the US government to uphold the right to seek asylum.
In their report, the IOM revealed that 307 of the deaths at the US-Mexico border last year occurred during attempts to cross the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.
Furthermore, there was a worrying increase in deaths along migration routes in the Caribbean, with 350 recorded in 2022 compared to 245 in 2021. The majority of fatalities in the Caribbean were individuals from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba.
The treacherous jungle corridor known as the Darien Gap, which stretches between Panama and Colombia, also saw 141 migrant deaths last year. This area is plagued by violence, natural hazards including insects and snakes, and unpredictable terrain.
“The remote and perilous nature of this region, combined with the presence of criminal gangs along the route, means that the reported figure may not accurately reflect the true number of lives lost,” the IOM cautioned.
Surveys conducted among individuals who crossed the Darien Gap indicate that one in 25 respondents reported losing someone they were traveling with. Almost 250,000 migrants and asylum seekers traversed this route in 2022, nearly double the number from the previous year.
Marcelo Pisani, the IOM’s regional director for South America, acknowledged the grim reality of the situation, stating, “The fact that we have such limited knowledge about migrants who go missing in the Americas is deeply troubling. The impact on the families left to endlessly search for their lost loved ones is profound.”
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