‘Significant’ numbers of migrant crossings seen in Sunland Park

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico -- Sunland Park is seeing a significant increase in the number of migrant crossings, according to the Sunland Park Police Department.

Officials did not specify how many crossings the county has been seeing, however, the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office said they have responded to 22 migrant deaths in 2022.

Additionally, Sunland Park Fire Department Chief Danny Medrano said his department has responded to 185 calls through September 2022 for incidents on or near the border wall, ranging from falls off the wall to exposure to search and rescue.

Medrano said calls have significantly slowed over the last two months, the reason for which he does not know. He also said hot spots for crossings are at Anapra and along Highway 9, areas where the department has responded to most often.

In a just completed news conference in El Paso, the deputy city mangers described the possibility that the lifting of Title 42 could double the number of migrants crossing through the Borderland.

There were as many as 2,500 daily encounters in the past week. City officials described the influx as unlike anything we've seen before.