Confirmed migrant deaths in the El Paso region have soared to 164 so far this fiscal year, a 10% increase compared to all those recorded in the past one, when the figure clocked in at 149.
The figure reported by Customs and Border Protection comes despite a sharp decrease in apprehensions between points of entry at the border. There were over 10,000 encounters in the region in July, compared to 30,000 in March and April.
According to Border Report, there is currently an average of 411 daily encounters so far in August, compared to 375 in July. Most are taking place in the vicinity of Santa Teresa Station, an area that has featured several emergency rescues.
Border Patrol said on Monday that authorities have rescued 845 migrants so far this fiscal year, which started last October 1. One case involved people suffering dehydration in the desert, while the other saw authorities rescue nine people from the Rio Grande as they struggled in the current.
This last scenario has been increasingly common as smugglers take migrants through more perilous routes amid increased enforcement from state and federal authorities. Fire department officials pulled 54 people from the Rio Grande in early July, several of them with hypothermia.
In this context, authorities are pleading with he family members of potential migrants to convince them not to try to cross the border. Wendi S. Lee, special operations supervisor for the Border Patrol's El Paso Sector, told Border Report that deterrence efforts are now also focusing on sponsors living in the U.S. and sending money abroad for migration purposes.
Federal authorities have also partnered with local officials and Mexican diplomats with the purpose of deterring migrants from crossings. The campaign, called "No se arriesgue" (Don't risk it) is running public service announcements online and engaging the Spanish-speaking community.
As well as the campaign, Border Patrol is trying to reduce fatalities by placing emergency beacons in the desert, which include geolocators and instructions to deal 911 when lost. Smugglers, however, have been telling migrants not to contact authorities because they will be deported.
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