2021: Report Shows Migrants Missing, Dead Along Southwest Border Hit All-Time High

A report compiled by a migration research group shows the number of people who went missing or are known to have died along the U.S.-Mexico Border hit an all-time high in 2021. The unprecedented figure follows the record-shattering number of migrants attempting to enter the U.S. following changes in immigration and border security policies by the Biden Administration.

The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrant Program reports that 658 migrants are known to have died or gone missing in the U.S.-Mexico Border region during 2021. This is up from 476 (37 percent) during the final year of the Trump administration.

The IOM’s Missing Migrant Program began tracking the data in 2014 when 304 migrants died or went missing.

This report includes 21 children who died or went missing in 2021. Of the 658 migrants, 322 were men and 87 were women. The gender of the remaining 249 could not be determined, the report indicates.

More than 200 migrants were found dead in Arizona in 2021, according to a report by Fronteras. The news outlet gathered data from the group Humane Borders and the Pima County Medical Examiner’s office.

In Texas, one county located 80 miles north of the state’s border with Mexico recorded the deaths of at least 129 migrants, Breitbart Texas reported. This marked an increase of nearly 280 percent over the previous year with only 34 migrants were found dead.

These spikes in deaths follow changes in immigration and border security policies put in place by President Joe Biden on his first day in office.

Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 1.9 million migrants who illegally crossed the southwest border with Mexico between ports of entry during 2021, Breitbart Texas reported. All but about 75,000 of those illegal crossings happened after Biden took office. Another estimated half-million migrants managed to avoid apprehension and sneak into the U.S.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.