Despite a substantial decrease in U.S.-Mexico border crossings over the past year, there was an increase in the number of deaths on either side of the border in 2017, according to data from the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. A total of 412 deaths were recorded in 2017, an increase from 396 in 2016, with violence not appearing to be a large contributor to that toll. The large amount of rain last year swelled the Rio Grande and caused 91 migrants to drown on their journey, the report noted. Frank Laczko, head of IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre, stated that, “The increase in deaths is especially concerning, as the available data indicate that far fewer migrants entered the U.S. via its border with Mexico in the last year.”
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