AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE DIE CROSSING US-MEXICO BORDER AMID BRUTAL HEATWAVE
The extreme heat across the south-west has come earlier than usual this year and experts have warned this could be a record-setting season. Last year, amid unprecedented heatwaves across the region, the CBP El Paso sector recorded 686 deaths and disappearances – which was the highest-ever toll the agency had recorded. “As temperatures soar and summer approaches, the treacherous conditions of the desert are proving increasingly dangerous,” the agency wrote in a statement.
Advocates for migrants have warned the new restrictions on asylum access ordered by Joe Biden this week will further push migrants to take riskier journeys across the border in brutal conditions.
“At a time that we’re seeing record-high heat in the region, enacting an executive order that basically shuts down the border with little notice is another way that our policies put people at risk,” said Javier Hidalgo, legal director at Raices, an immigrant support and advocacy group in Texas.
