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MigrationNorth America

US-Mexico border is world's deadliest land route, UN says

September 12, 2023

More migrants have died or disappeared across the Americas than ever before according to the UN body. Crossing from Mexico to the US is particularly risky.

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Clothing and tennis shoes are seen near a wall at the United States and Mexico border, in El Paso, Texas.
The border between the US and Mexico is the world's "deadliest land route"Image: Jose Luis Gonzalez /REUTERS

At least 1,457 displaced persons have died or disappeared in the Americas in 2022, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

With 686 documented deaths and disappearances, the US-Mexico border makes up for over half of the cases. While this is a slight decrease from last year, it still makes it the world's "deadliest land route" according to the IOM.

Dangerous desert areas

The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts bordering the US are particularly dangerous. More deaths have been reported here than in the far bigger Sahara desert, the IOM said.

Documenting deaths and disappearances of migrants – especially in remote areas – is made difficult by lack of data from official sources according the UN organization.

"The fact that we know so little about migrants who disappear in the Americas is a grim reality,” said Marcelo Pisani, IOM Regional Director for South America. "The impacts on the families left behind to search endlessly for a lost loved one are profound."

The IOM urged countries in the region "to act on the data to ensure safe, regular migration routes are accessible."

Increased migration across Latin America and Caribbean

The IOM said the numbers in its report "represent the lowest estimates available." Still, the overall number of deaths and disappearances has more than doubled since 2018.

Migration across the Americas has been increasing in recent years. Movements between countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have seen an especially steep hike: from 5.3 million migrants in 2010 to 11.3 million in 2020, numbers from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) show.

North America is still the primary destination for people migrating from Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2022, more than 2,5 million people crossed the southern border of the US, setting a new record.

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