The United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) disclosed that at least 1,457 displaced individuals have either died or gone missing in the Americas during 2022, DW reports.
Of these cases, the US-Mexico border accounts for 686 documented deaths and disappearances, constituting over half of the total incidents. While this figure represents a slight decline from the previous year, it still designates the region as the "deadliest land route" worldwide, as per the IOM's assessment.
Particularly treacherous are the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts along the US border, where more reported deaths have occurred than in the significantly larger Sahara desert, according to the IOM.
Documenting fatalities and disappearances of migrants, especially in remote areas, remains challenging due to the lack of data from official sources, as per the UN agency. Marcelo Pisani, IOM Regional Director for South America, lamented the limited knowledge about missing migrants in the Americas, emphasizing the profound emotional toll it exacts on families left searching for their loved ones.
The IOM has called upon countries in the region to utilize the available data as a basis for ensuring the accessibility of safe and regular migration routes.
While noting that the numbers presented in its report are conservative estimates, the IOM underscored that the overall count of deaths and disappearances has more than doubled since 2018.
Migration patterns across the Americas have witnessed an increase in recent years, with significant movements between countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) informs that the figures have surged from 5.3mn migrants in 2010 to 11.3mn in 2020.
North America remains the primary destination for individuals migrating from Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2022, more than 2.5mn people crossed the southern border of the United States, marking a new record.
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