A state of alert prevails among security forces in the Mexican desert near the U.S. border after a person was found dead from extreme heat during a journey they hoped would lead to a better life in North America. The body of the 45-year-old Mexican was discovered buried in the scorching sun among sand and brush a week after a woman died from dehydration in the state of Chihuahua, where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
Latin American migrants face perilous journeys during which they cross rivers and encounter dangerous wild animals, as well as violent criminal gangs that extort, kidnap, and assault them as they make their way to the United States. Heat has now become a new enemy for migrants exposed to harsh weather conditions.
On Thursday, the Mexican government announced 1,550 deaths linked to rising temperatures, with 30 of those recorded just last week. Venezuelan migrant Dioner Jose Romero, 25, said, "The heat is extremely intense. I’m suffering from some dehydration as temperatures have not dropped and reach 43, 44, or 45 degrees Celsius." While Nelson Ramos, another Venezuelan in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, stated he is accustomed to high temperatures, he added, "The sun is very strong… I feel a sort of suffocation."
**Calls to Avoid the Border**
U.S. border police report 77 deaths in the region of El Paso, near Ciudad Juarez, extending into parts of Texas and New Mexico since October. The leading causes of death are extreme heat, drowning, or falls from the border wall, parts of which reach heights of nine meters. Maurico Rodriguez, director of emergency management services in Ciudad Juarez, mentioned that there have been calls for people not to approach the border "due to the high temperatures."
He noted, "I understand that people are compelled to do so, but we recommend against it. Extreme heat can lead to death." While searching for the Mexican migrant found dead, Mexican authorities discovered six other undocumented migrants, one of whom was showing signs of dehydration. Approximately 1.3 million undocumented migrants crossed the area between January and May of this year alone, according to figures from the National Institute of Migration in Mexico, with the majority coming from Latin America and the Caribbean (Venezuela, Honduras, Ecuador, and Haiti), although they hold a total of 177 different nationalities.
