At least 1,457 displaced people died or went missing in the Americas in 2022, the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
With 686 deaths and disappearances recorded, the US-Mexico border accounted for more than half of the cases. While that number is down slightly from last year, it still makes it the world's "most dangerous road route," according to the IOM.
Clothes and shoes left behind at the US-Mexico border. Photo: Reuters
The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts bordering the US are particularly dangerous, with the IOM reporting more deaths there than in the much larger Sahara desert.
Recording deaths and disappearances of migrants – especially in remote areas – is difficult due to a lack of data from official sources, according to the UN.
“The fact that we know so little about migrants who disappear in the Americas is a grim reality,” said Marcelo Pisani, IOM Regional Director for South America.
IOM called on countries in the region to “act on data to ensure access to safe, regular migration routes”.
The IOM said the figures in its report were “the lowest estimates available”. However, the total number of dead and missing has more than doubled since 2018.
Migration across the Americas has increased in recent years. Figures from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) show that movement between countries in Latin America and the Caribbean has increased particularly sharply: from 5.3 million migrants in 2010 to 11.3 million in 2020.
North America remains the main destination for migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2022, more than 2.5 million people crossed the southern US border.
Mai Anh (according to Reuters, DW)
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