Preventing Migrant Death

Raquel V. Lopez

Eng 147

January 25, 2015
Dr. Barbara Rowland

Preventing migrant death

The death and suffering of migrants crossing the U.S-Mexico border are not a mistake and must no longer be ignored. As the security along the border has increased, the journey for migrants has become harder than ever, and few are prepared for the danger that awaits them. Our country’s southern border has become the most dangerous place in the world, in the harshest environment on the planet-the Sonoran Desert. Despite measures to secure the border, migrant death continues to rise. To some, migrants are just a statistic, but they are real people searching for a better life for themselves and their families, yet many die before they find it. In order to prevent migrant death along the U.S.-Mexico border, our government must support humanitarian efforts, create sound policies, and the crackdown on the "real" criminals. The death of migrants in the Sonoran desert has become a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate attention and cooperation of both the United States and Mexican governments in supporting humanitarian efforts to save lives. "Our government must work together with humanitarians that will make saving lives a priority” (Bush,2014). The U.S. relies on organizations such as No More Deaths, and Humane Borders, to minimize the loss of life. There is an urgent need for funding and additional resources in order to expand humanitarian aid such as, adding more water stations in strategic locations throughout the desert where high numbers of migrant bodies have been found, additional search and rescue patrols for migrants who are in distress or have become lost, and the grueling tasks of recovering the bodies and human remains of the dead. The primary focus of humanitarians is to save lives and advocate safe and humane