Migrants warned of dangers of crossing Arizona-Mexico border

“My message to migrants wishing to cross this environment is simple. Don’t do it. Do not cross here. Do not risk the life of your life or the life of your loved ones,” Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin said as he stood in front of a Black Hawk, one of the helicopters responsible for making nine hoist rescues this year. Only used as a last resort, this operation saves migrants in distress, crossing the Sonora-Arizona border.

Modlin was one of 10 speakers detailing the dangers of crossing the border during the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “Dangers of the Journey” press conference Monday, May 8. Rising desert temperatures, dangerous terrain and stretches without water or shade contributed to 50 desert deaths this fiscal year. According to Modlin, there have been more migrant deaths reported in Arizona than anywhere along the Southwest border and is the most dangerous place to cross in the U.S. This year, the Tucson Border Patrol Sector has already conducted 33 search and rescue operations.

Modlin said smugglers push migrants into the most dangerous areas to avoid detection, however, in these remote locations, it could be hours before someone in distress is found. Therefore, Modlin emphasized, if migrants choose to make the journey, they should not hesitate to call 911.

In addition to the dangerous environmental conditions when crossing the border, Leo Lamas, the Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations — Tucson, explained that smuggling operations pose another kind of threat to migrants, with an increase in the number of kidnappings and extortions in the last year.

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“As far back as 30 years ago, criminal organizations shied away from smuggling people,” Lamas said. “But now they have seen the profit margins that can be made from this crime.”

The financial toll extends beyond the initial smuggling fee; migrants are often further extorted when they enter territories controlled by other criminal organizations. If they make it to the U.S. border, they may be held at gunpoint until the migrant’s family pays a hostage fee.

Migrant numbers are growing around border towns in Mexico as the Title 42 order ends this May. Title 42 allowed the U.S. to expel migrants at the southern border during the COVID-19 pandemic to curb the virus’s spread. Modlin is concerned about the closure but said that over the past 18 months to two years, they thought the order would end about six or seven times and organized for it each time. After creating relationships with counties, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations, as well as sending resources to agencies, Modlin said he thinks the Tucson Border Patrol Sector is well prepared for the end of Title 42.