Deaths in the Desert

Since 1999 over 2000 people (probably even more since this source is a few years old) have lost their lives crossing the desert in southern Arizona. Traditional border crossings have been closed off forcing many migrants to cross in desert areas - places where the government thought the harsh conditions would deter people from crossing. These deaths have been documented by the Tucson Samaritans, a group dedicated to saving lives

 Here is a closeup of the Ajo sector for a better idea of the terrain.

Humane Borders, another group of volunteers trying to save lives, made posters for distribution on the south side of the border warning potential undocumented migrants of the dangers they face trying to cross through the desert on foot. The text in Spanish at the bottom translates to “Don’t do it! It’s hard! There’s not enough water!” The posters include estimated walking times from various entry points, as well as the sites of migrant deaths and the location of water stations.

They also created maps showing deaths that include location of water stations, rescue beacons and land ownership,

as well as an interactive map where you can look up names and filter deaths by location, year, land type or cause. Here are deaths from exposure.

A closeup of an area near the Organ Pipe Cactus Wilderness gives a good sense of how bleak the landscape is.

A click on the points helps to humanize each death-something many of our politicians are unwilling to do.