Strict Border Enforcement Policies Put Migrants in Harm’s Way. Title 42 Is No Exception. In fiscal year 2020, border encounters dropped by half while rescue rates doubled. Experts and humanitarian groups point to a Trump-era policy that continues today. Sally Deng for The Marshall Project
Migrants were found lost in the desert, tucked under rocks in the mountains, and trapped by the rushing tides of the Rio Grande. Some were experiencing heat exhaustion in 115-degree weather, while others nearly died from hypothermia. In Laredo, Texas, one woman was found falling in and out of consciousness from dehydration. In the Jacumba Mountains of Southern California, a man with a fractured ankle had to be carried out of the impassable terrain in a litter basket. In Arizona, two people were found dead in the desert with the word “HELP” written on the ground nearby.