14ymedio/EFE, Geneva, 12 September 2023 — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that in 2022, along with Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Cuba was one of the countries with the highest number of deaths in the Caribbean crossing, although it did not provide the figures by country. The organization’s report described the situation as “very worrying,” with 350 deaths – 104 of which were people who tried to travel between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico – far exceeding the 245 recorded in 2021.
“These alarming figures remind us of the need for States to act,” IOM’s regional director for Central, North America and the Caribbean, Michele Klein Solomon, said in a statement. She considers it crucial to increase data collection to “ensure that routes are safe and accessible.” In years prior to 2021, the records of deaths and missing persons in the Caribbean did not exceed 170 people.
The organization also recorded a record number of deaths and disappearances of migrants throughout the American continent
In 2022, the organization also recorded a record number of deaths and disappearances of migrants throughout the American continent, with at least 1,457, almost half of them (686) on the border between the United States and Mexico.
According to the IOM, the number of victims on the continent exceeds that of 2021 by 10% (1,316), and before that year the 900 confirmed deaths and disappearances had never been exceeded. These figures are based on data from IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, which since 2014 has been constantly monitoring victims on migratory routes throughout the world.
In addition to the 686 dead or missing on the northern Mexican border, another 141 were registered last year in the Panamanian Darién Gap, which connects South America with Central America.
Since IOM began this follow-up project 10 years ago, there have been at least 4,664 deaths and disappearances on the U.S.-Mexico border, 499 on the sea route to the United States, 328 between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and 320 in the Darién Gap.
Marcelo Pisani, IOM’s regional director for South America, added, however, that the data on migrant victims on the continent are incomplete, so the real figures could be much higher.
For example, in the case of deaths and disappearances in Mexico and the United States, IOM regrets that it lacks complete data from the immigration care offices of the border state of Texas, or those of the search and rescue agency of Mexico.
Despite the lack of complete data, that border route between Mexico and the United States is consolidated as the deadliest land route
Despite the lack of complete data, that border route between Mexico and the United States is consolidated as the deadliest land route for migrants in the world.
The 686 victims on that route last year are the second worst figure in that area since IOM began compiling these statistics 10 years ago. In 2021 there were 729 dead and missing.
Almost half of the deaths on the northern Mexican border last year (307) occurred during the crossings through the dangerous deserts of Sonora and Chihuahua, IOM highlighted, indicating that this figure is even higher than that of migrants who died when crossing the Sahara in Africa (at least 212 last year).
Regarding the situation in the dangerous Darien Gap, IOM considers that the number of real victims could be significantly higher than the official figures, taking into account that in 2022, about 250,000 people arrived in Panama by that jungle route, while so far in 2023, the number has already exceeded 300,000.
Although the deadliest land route for migrants on the planet is the one that separates the United States and Mexico, the one that registers the most deaths and disappearances is maritime: the Central Mediterranean, where at least 1,417 people lost their lives in 2022, while in the western part of that sea there were 611 victims.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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