Authorities said he died after falling from the U.S.-Mexico border wall. His family has doubts
Few details are publicly available about how a Mexican citizen died in federal custody in a parking lot just west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry more than six months ago.

Hours after Border Patrol detained Joel Reyes Muñoz, 38, on Jan. 12, he “became ill and eventually unresponsive,” according to a press release Customs and Border Protection issued two days later. Authorities suspected Reyes Muñoz crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

Now new details have emerged in records obtained by inewsource that raise questions about whether Reyes Muñoz’s death could have been prevented.

Reyes Muñoz died from blunt force injuries after “apparently” falling from the U.S.-Mexico border wall, according to his recently updated death certificate.

That detail places Reyes Muñoz among a growing list of migrants fatally wounded after falling from the U.S.-Mexico border wall. But the still thin details surrounding his death also raise questions for Reyes Muñoz’s family and immigration reform advocates about whether authorities took appropriate steps to prevent his death. 

Joel Reyes Muñoz is one of 13 people who’s families we have helped through our Volviendo A Casa program, through which we help families of those who have passed away crossing the border by paying funeral expenses or transportation.

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Asylum wait lists at US border frustrate, confuse others
U.S. Customs and Border Protection began taking 70 asylum-seekers a day in San Diego in late April — half chosen by Al Otro Lado, which prioritizes how long migrants have waited, and half by Border Angels, which selected from Tijuana migrant shelters.

The Biden administration says it prioritizes the most “vulnerable” — which may include LGTBQ migrants, those with severe medical conditions or those facing imminent physical danger in Mexico — but the criteria is vague and mysterious for many

Nongovernmental organizations play a “critical role,” helping select migrants and communicating with U.S. authorities, CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a recent interview.

The Biden administration maintained Trump’s policy of denying migrants a chance to seek asylum on grounds of preventing spread of COVID-19, and a federal judge’s order has kept the pandemic-related authority known as Title 42 authority in place after it was due to expire on May 23.

The U.S. grants some exemptions to Title 42, but the rule has been unevenly enforced by nationality, with single adults and families from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador most affected.

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