Border Network for Human Rights reacts to rise in migrant numbers in 2023

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Borderland migrant advocates are speaking up after new data revealed the El Paso sector was the busiest during fiscal year 2023.

Alan Lizarraga, the communications director for the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), told ABC-7 that reported migrant deaths are on the rise.

The El Paso sector saw 149 reported migrant deaths in fiscal year 2023, and 60 of them were heat-related.

In fiscal year 2022, the El Paso sector saw 71 migrant deaths total.

ABC-7 also spoke with U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso who said migrant numbers across the sector increased in every category: apprehensions, encounters, deaths, and others.

BNHR said this rise in deaths is due to the immigration policies in place along the U.S./Mexico border. They attribute the rise in deaths to chases conducted under Operation Lone Star. ABC-7 was unable to independently confirm those claims.

BNHR says C-wire on the border, inspections, and chases are main contributors to the rise in migrant deaths.

Lizarraga also said all agencies should treat everyone regardless of their status with respect and humanity. Respect their human rights above anything and everything, Lizarraga told ABC-7.