500 Mexicans have died trying to cross the border

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The U.S. Consul General says that more than 500 Mexicans have died trying to cross the border into the U.S. so far this year.

"Some have drowned in the Rio Grande, others have succumbed to the desert sun, and several have lost their lives in car crashes, simply trying to reach the United States," a translated version of Consul General Robin Busse's statement reads.

Busse says that smugglers promising help to cross the border are lying, and that they do not care about the lives of the migrants.

Busse added a message to migrants in the statement: "do not put your life in the hands of the smugglers or traffickers. Don't event try."