More than 853 illegal immigrants have died while trying to enter the United States in the past year amid the border crisis.
In an exclusive report released by CBS News, it was revealed that the figure “exceeded the previous record of 546 migrant deaths recorded by Border Patrol in fiscal year 2021.”
The analyst claimed that the figure is likely an undercount due to data collection limits and migration policy of the Biden administration.
In a statement released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda during an interview with CBS, she revealed that “Smuggling organizations are abandoning migrants in remote and dangerous areas, leading to a rise in the number of rescues but also tragically a rise in the number of deaths.”
The terrain along the border is extreme, the summer heat is severe, and the miles of desert migrants must hike after crossing the border in many areas are unforgiving,” Barreda added.
The recent report comes as the crisis continues to become so dire that multiple morgues in towns along the border are running out of space to accommodate deceased migrants.
Last September, Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber revealed in an interview with the Daily Caller that “It’s gotten to the point where the state has to provide a refrigerator trailer where we’re having to take the deceased to and they’re there for maybe between about 24-72 hours where we try to get an identification on the person and at that point another sad thing that’s happening is our justices of the peace, they’re ordering autopsies on these unfortunate persons and the medical examiners that we use in Webb County…they’re starting to kind of turn us away because of the high volume of the deceased that they’re having.”
According to the CBP, they could attribute the concern to “transnational criminal organizations who continue to recklessly endanger the lives of individuals they smuggle for their own financial gain with no regard for human life.”
“Smuggling organizations are abandoning migrants in remote and dangerous areas, leading to a rise in the number of rescues but also tragically a rise in the number of deaths. The terrain along the border is extreme, the summer heat is severe, and the miles of desert migrants must hike after crossing the border in many areas are unforgiving. Despite these inherent dangers, smugglers continue to lie to migrants claiming the borders are open. The borders are not open, and people should not attempt to make the dangerous journey,” CBP claimed.
