Migrant deaths rise in Arizona desert despite fewer border crossings

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Fewer migrants are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, but migrant deaths in the Arizona desert are increasing.

According to data tracked by Humane Borders, 73 migrants have died in Arizona so far this year, including 19 in July.

Humane Borders Executive Director Octavio Fontes says increased border enforcement has pushed some migrants into more remote areas, where extreme heat and other desert conditions can become deadly.

Fontes says monsoon season can also create additional dangers, including flooding and changing desert washes that can cause people to become lost.

Humane Borders' map shows 4,505 migrant deaths recorded in Arizona since 2000. Fontes says the actual number could be higher because some people who die in the desert are never found.

The organization expects the number of deaths this year could reach about 120.

Fontes says he hopes policymakers look beyond the statistics and consider the human lives behind the numbers.