Border Patrol in El Paso warns migrants against making risky illegal crossings

The U.S. Border Patrol warned migrants about the dangers of crossing the border illegally and cautioned that those in El Paso without proper documentation may be arrested.

With the end of Title 42 expulsions nearing, El Paso law enforcement agencies and emergency responders said Tuesday they are trying to get the word out about the serious risks migrants face at the hands of smugglers, scaling the 30-foot border wall, or crossing the fast-moving Rio Grande and nearby canals.

"Attempting to enter the U.S. illegally is inherently dangerous," Border Patrol El Paso Sector Chief Scott Good said during a news conference at the U.S.-Mexico border fence in East El Paso.

The agency's goal, he said, is "to minimize the loss of life and serious injuries."

Migrant deaths at the border have risen sharply. The Border Patrol recorded 71 migrant deaths in fiscal 2022, up from 40 deaths in fiscal 2021. Since October, 29 people have died attempting to cross the border.

Rescues have risen, as well. Border Patrol reported 493 rescues last fiscal year and 167 rescues so far in fiscal 2023.

El Paso hospitals are seeing injuries that are far more severe than in prior years, said Dr. Susan McLean, surgical critical care director at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Emergency room doctors are receiving migrants who have suffered "everything from drownings in the Rio Grande, amputations from train injuries, automobile-versus-pedestrian accidents from crossing the road, but lately more falls from heights," she said, from a border fence that, at 30 feet, is nearly twice as high as the previous barrier.

Despite the risks, migrants continue to attempt to cross the border and evade apprehension. Hundreds are flocking to the sidewalk outside Sacred Heart Church, looking for shelter, community and protection.

Border Patrol agents are prohibited from arresting undocumented migrants in places that provide social services such as churches, schools and homeless shelters, Good said.

"We're not going to enter into those areas," he said.

But he indicated that migrants who lack proper documentation could face enforcement in the coming days.

"There will be some enforcement jointly with some other agencies to address that," he said. "Because, yes, there are hundreds of people there in that area right now. So, you will see some enforcement in the near future there, but it will be in partnership with other agencies."

Ruben Garcia, executive director of the Annunciation House, said the nonprofit's network of faith-based shelters has room for migrants who need refuge. The organization also has been offering immigration workshops to explain to migrants how to apply for asylum.

"Anyone who has been processed has no reason to be camping on the street," he said. "People who haven’t been processed, we need shelters that provide hospitality to the unprocessed; it needs to be hospitality sites connected to churches."

"Border Patrol has a longstanding policy that they will not go into churches, funeral homes, schools, social service agencies and emergency rooms unless they are called in," he said.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Border Patrol: Migrants face deadly risks in crossing US-Mexico border