Migrant Smuggling is on the Rise

Good afternoon,

It’s been just over one month since 53 migrants died in the back of a tractor-trailer discovered in San Antonio, making it the deadliest smuggling incident in U.S. history. Last week, two men were indicted in the case on counts of transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally, resulting in death and serious injury.

Instances of migrant smuggling have risen over the last several years. The number of people arrested and charged with human smuggling increased from 2,762 in 2014 to 5,046 in 2021, according to the New York Times. Seeing opportunities to profit, cartels have become increasingly involved in human smuggling operations. Migrants often have to pay thousands of dollars to cartels who control routes and access points to the border. It is estimated that revenue from human smuggling has jumped from $500 million in 2018 to $13 billion today.

Ineffective border management policies are one reason for this increase in migrant smuggling. Title 42, the pandemic-era policy that allows border agents to rapidly expel arriving migrants without processing or allowing them to apply for humanitarian protection, encourages repeat crossing without penalties. Smugglers now have multiple opportunities to extract fees from those attempting to cross the border.

With each failed crossing, desperate migrants may turn to more dangerous methods and be subjected to inhumane treatment by smugglers and other criminals. According to the International Organization for Migration, there were at least 650 migrant deaths documented at the U.S.-Mexico border last year, the highest number since the organization began tracking in 2014. Human Rights Watch identified almost 10,000 reports of violent attacks on migrants blocked in or expelled to Mexico due to Title 42 since January 2021.

Better solutions are needed to create a more orderly, humane and secure border. Danilo Zak, Policy & Advocacy Manager for the Forum, details 42 border solutions that are not Title 42. These solutions focus on creating sustainable asylum and border management processes, addressing the root causes of migration and implementing practical and needed border security reforms.

Unfortunately, we are likely to continue to hear of tragedies like the one in San Antonio, as the Biden administration was blocked from lifting Title 42 in May, keeping the policy in place for the foreseeable future. Join us in protecting the lives of migrants. Tell your Senators to support meaningful bipartisan immigration reform that includes better border policies.

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Nora

Nora Coyne
Field and Constituencies Manager
National Immigration Forum 

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