A Deadly Winter for Border Crossers

It’s been a wet and deadly winter for illegal immigrants crossing into Arizona from Mexico, with nine border crossers dying from hypothermia since November. That equals the number who died trying to make the crossing in the previous three winters combined.

Meanwhile, immigration reform still languishes and the expansion of the wall between the U.S. and Mexico forces many migrants to cross in areas that are increasingly dangerous and isolated.

One organization that provides humanitarian aid to migrants is No More Deaths, which operates out of Phoenix. —JCL

The Los Angeles Times:

An unusually wet winter in Arizona has been lethal for illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into the United States, with nine people dying from hypothermia since November.

The same number of immigrants died of hypothermia during the previous three winters combined.

“When you are wet, your risk is a lot higher,” said Dr. Bruce Parks, chief medical examiner in Pima County. “Wet clothing takes the heat away from the body. You’ve lost that insulation—your body can’t react.”

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Flickr / AZDew

The Arizona side of the U.S.-Mexico border can be unforgiving terrain for border crossers in winter.