|
Deaths on Ariz. Border Since September |
| This year |
October 1, 2009–
|
61
|
| Last year |
October 1, 2008–September 30, 2009 |
206 |
| Two years ago |
October 1, 2007–September 30, 2008 |
183 |
When large numbers of people are dying in remote wilderness conditions, the number of bodies recovered gives an indication, but only an indication, of the true loss of life.
The main source of information about recovered remains is medical examiners' offices. The Arizona data is compiled by the Coalición de Derechos Humanos; see Arizona Recovered Remains, the source of the above statistics. The Arizona Daily Star also maintains a Border Deaths Database [currently offline], organized by calendar year.
Both sources report data provided by the medical examiners of the four Arizona border counties: Pima County, Santa Cruz County, Yuma County, and Cochise County. The majority of the Arizona deaths occur in Pima County. In the first two months of fiscal year 2010, the remains of 27 people were recovered in the border counties, compared to 20 the previous year.
For the border region as a whole, yearly estimated death counts can range from the 300s (around one per day) to the 800s (over two per day), depending on the year and the method of counting. See the ACLU report Humanitarian Crisis: Migrant Deaths at the U.S.–Mexico Border (October 2009) for sources.
A complete list of people who have died while crossing the border does not exist, and will probably never exist.
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