INCREASING NUMBER OF MEXICAN NATIONALS INJURED OR DEAD IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO CROSS THE BORDER

In 2022, 42 Mexican nationals lost their lives while trying to cross the Tijuana - San Diego border.
During the last three fiscal years, at least 646 Mexican nationals were hospitalized or died in their attempt to cross this border.

During the calendar year 2022, the number of Mexican nationals who died in their attempt to cross the San Diego – Tijuana border increased to 42, compared to 41 Mexican nationals in 2021 and to 16 in 2020. That is a 162% increase in a 3-year trend

If we consider both the injured and the dead while crossing the border, the number goes up to 646 during fiscal years 2020, 2021 and 2022. From those injured, the main cause was wall related.

Only 20 percent of Mexican nationals hospitalized in 2022 after attempting to cross the border suffered injuries unrelated to the wall (dehydration, heat stroke, among others). The remaining 80% suffered bruises, fractures, lacerations, or even more serious and permanent injuries when falling off the wall.

Statistics based on the consular interviews carried out between fiscal years 2020 and 2022, can be consulted in our webpage: https://bit.ly/3wB61co

A recent study from the University of Californ©ia in San Diego (UCSD) attributes the rise in injuries to a height increase of the border wall from 17 to 30 feet. It also points out that the trend of more severe injuries has to do with this factor. The study can be found in the following link.

Consular officials work with authorities on both sides of the border, focusing on the search, rescue, hospitalization, and repatriation of migrants. Per the duties conferred by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), consular interviews have been vital in providing assistance and protection to Mexican nationals, which represent the highest priority of the government of Mexico.

Carlos González Gutiérrez, Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, urged Mexican nationals to avoid risking their lives, crossing the border without documents.

“Empirical evidence shows that higher walls have not been able to stop or divert the flows of migrants but have clearly increased the severity of injuries and deaths. Undocumented Mexican nationals willing to cross to the U.S. in between ports of entry, should be aware of deceitful human smugglers who distort reality, create false expectations, and expose migrants to severe injuries or death”, he said.

The Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego recognizes the agencies that work on both sides of the border to preserve the life, dignity, and integrity of those who are injured in their attempt to seek a better life, which includes hospitals, forensic medical services, as well as land, sea, and air rescue agencies operating on both sides of the border.

The Mexican Consulate is part of the Border Wall Fall Injury Prevention Working Group, where trauma injury prevention coordinators from the main San Diego trauma centers, social workers, academics, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders monitor and analyze incidents, as well as prevention opportunities, while creating a stronger network for assisting the injured.

Relatives who wish to obtain information regarding injured or missing people, or if they require consular assistance, can call the Center for Information and Attention to Mexicans (CIAM, by its acronym in Spanish) in the USA: +1 520-623-7874, the Consulate's emergency line: +1 619-843-6399 or email Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.

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Detalles: Última actualización: 27 Enero 2023