275 Mexicans have died on the U.S. border

A total of 275 Mexicans have died this year to date attempting to cross the border into the United States, making it possibly the worst year for immigrants, according to a commission in the Mexican Congress.

Edmundo Ramírez, secretary of the Population, Borders and Migration Issues Commission, said in a press release that 2007 would be “a dark year for migrants” who may try to cross the border into the U.S.

He said it was “imminent” that the number who will die will exceed the 550 deaths registered in 2006.

According to the representative, the deaths counted in the first semester of the year shows a growing tendency since the 1990s.

According to his figures, every year 550,000 Mexicans leave their country in search of better opportunities in the U.S., but he said there is a big difference between the death figures of the government and those of citizens’ organizations.

In that sense, he said that last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs registered 422 deaths, while some NGOs and migrant help centers placed the figure at 550 deaths.

He said that U.S. government plans to reinforce security on the border by building a wall and using new technology such as cameras and motion and heat sensors “will result in the migration flow going to more inhospitable regions, but it will not decrease.”

The measures adopted by the U.S. “are offending,” but “it is more humiliating that Mexican authorities (...) are turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to such a huge problem,” he stated.

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be protesting more vigorously against the U.S. actions on the border and should send a letter to the White House, because “good intentions and submissive attitudes don’t resolve anything,” he said.

He emphasized that on the border region between the U.S. and Mexico, about $3 billion in illegal trafficking of persons takes place, a business that is very difficult to attack, he said.