Sunland Park, N.M. — At the sunbaked borderlands between the United States and Mexico, Laura Mae Williams’ job has grown increasingly grim. As a body recovery specialist for the New Mexico Medical Investigator’s Office, Williams has seen a distressing surge in deaths in the desert just west of El Paso, Texas.
In recent years, the frequency with which the Medical Investigator’s Office, operated by the University of New Mexico Health System, encounters migrant bodies has skyrocketed. Previously, such recoveries were few each year. This year, however, Williams and her team had retrieved 121 bodies by mid-year, topping the previous year’s record of 116, and marking over a thirteenfold increase in just five years.
The deaths mainly occur in a relatively condensed strip of desert, tightly enclosed by highways and the burgeoning suburbs of El Paso. Despite its proximity to urban areas, victims often die within only a few yards of paved roads and residential homes.
The principal cause of death among these unfortunate souls is heat exposure. Summer temperatures in this belt of desert regularly peak well into the triple digits, with ground temperatures occasionally reaching a scorching 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Williams details the brutal environmental conditions, noting that “the extreme heat can take a toll on the body, even for those who are well-prepared with food and water.” Many victims, however, are neither, typically having endured days of inadequate provisions in smugglers’ safe houses before attempting their crossing.
This surge in deaths correlates strongly with policy changes in nearby Texas. Elected officials and humanitarian workers in New Mexico have pointed fingers at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which bolstered border security in El Paso’s urban areas. This heightened security has forced smugglers and migrants to take more perilous paths through remote desert areas in New Mexico.
In response, Abbott’s office shifts the blame to federal policies, asserting that Operation Lone Star has been a deterrent by directing migrants towards legal crossing points on the Texas-Mexico border.
Yet, this pattern of migrant deaths is hauntingly familiar. Stricter border enforcement often results in pushing migrant paths into more isolated and hazardous areas, increasing the likelihood of fatalities.
Among the bodies found, many show signs of having been abandoned by smugglers once they could no longer keep pace, often after their communication devices had been taken. This ruthless practice raises significant ethical questions regarding the responsibilities of those involved in human smuggling.
Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner at the Medical Investigator’s Office, questions the legal interpretations of these incidents. “When you leave someone in the desert to die, why isn’t this considered homicide by neglect?” she poses, underlining the need for a reassessment of legal categorizations.
This issue casts a stark light on the harsh realities faced by many migrants and the complex interplay of policies, enforcement, and human desperation that leads to such tragic outcomes. The region’s struggle with migrant deaths continues to challenge local authorities, humanitarian organizations, and policymakers alike.