About 1,078 migrants died on American routes

At least 1,078 migrants, including 74 minors, have died or gone missing in the Americas so far this year, according to updated statistics from the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project.

A monitoring projecto Updated on accidents on migration routes around the world, shows that the figure is still below that recorded in 2022 (1,457), contrary to what is happening with the number of dead and missing migrants crossing the Mediterranean (2,480 so far this year).

8,543 migrants died or disappeared since 2014

Regarding migration routes in the Americas since 2014, the year in which the IOM started the tracking system, 8,543 migrants have died or disappeared, of which 4,852 crossed the Mexico-US border, 503 in the Caribbean traveling to the US, 342 in Darién, The Panamanian region bordering Colombia, and 328 at the sea crossing from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico.

In addition, 187 migrants who tried to escape died or disappeared. arrive from Venezuela to the Caribbean islands, 64 that went from Haiti to the Dominican Republic and 17 on trips through the Caribbean to Central America.

2022, the bloodiest year

Updated statistics show that the bloodiest year on US migration routes so far was 2022 with 1,457 dead or missing, followed by 2021 with 1,316, while the year of the observed period with fewer victims was 2014 (493).

The Americas region (South, Central and North America, and the Caribbean) is “characterized by complex and dynamic mixed migration flows, intra-regional and extra-regional,” notes the IOM.

“People transiting America include refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, short-term visitors and other people on the move. The factors driving migration and displacement are multiple and include natural disasters, structural violence, poverty and inequality,” he adds.