Migrant Deaths at the U.S. Mexico Border, 2007
The Border Patrol's fiscal year, and therefore record keeping, runs from October 1 to September 30. For the purposes of our monitoring of migrant deaths, we are following this same calendar. This list is not a comprehensive list and represents only those deaths where information is available.
Border Death by State
|
Border Death by Sector
|
| Date |
Sex |
Age |
Location |
Situation |
Source of Info |
| 16-October 2007 | Female | 20 | Nuevo Laredo, TX - 500 yards from Rio Grande | The body, found in the trunk of an abandoned car, showed signs of having been beaten, raped, and had at least one gun-shot wound. | Laredo Morning Times |
| 18-October 2007 | Male | 18-25 | Rio Grande near South Zapata Highway, TX | Border Patrol Agents were alerted to the body’s presence by two illegal immigrants. | Laredo Morning Times |
| 23-October 2007 | 1 female 4 males |
Teens to late 20s | Rio Grande | Drowning | Brownsville Herald |
| 5-November 2007 | Male | Unknown | Rio Grande Mission, TX | Body was in the water for approx. a week before being noticed. | McAllen Monitor |
| 12- January 2007 | Male | 22 | 150 yards north of Bisbee/ Douglas border, Arizona | Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera allegedly became involved in a fight with a Border Patrol agent who fatally shot him. | Arizona Daily Star |
| 16-January 2007 | Unknown | Unknown | Near Sasabe, Arizona | Skeletal remains found by ranch hand, reported to Border Patrol. | Arizona Daily Star |
| 26-January 2007 | Male | Unreleased | Green Valley, Arizona | While crossing illegally with a group of friends in July, the man was attacked by armed bandits and shot. Border Patrol was unable to locate the body until one of his friends was again crossing the border, came upon the body, and notified the Mexican Consulate. | Arizona Daily Star |
| 31-January 2007 | Male | 33 | Bisbee, Arizona | The body of Eduardo Guillen Cortes was found by family members in the US after a man who had been illegally crossing with him told them where Eduardo had been left behind. Hypothermia was the probably cause of death. | Douglas Dispatch |
| 25-February 2007 | Female | 30-40 Years | West of Nogales, Arizona | Law enforcement officials working near the border discovered body. | Arizona Daily Star |
| 27-February 2007 | Male | South of Tucson | Border Patrol shot and killed man for being a suspected drug smuggler. | Arizona Daily Star | |
| 9-April 2007 | Female | Tucson Arizona, Found dead in desert near a Southeast Side gas station. | Death has not been determined. | Arizona Daily Star | |
| 10-May 2007 | Male | Unknown | South of Alamo, Texas | Man drowned while crossing the Rio Grande. Authorities found the body wearing solely boxer shorts. | The Monitor |
| 25-May 2007 | Male | Near the Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona | Man’s brother and cousin alerted Border Patrol after being apprehended. | Tucson Citizen | |
| 30-May 2007 | Male | Doña Ana County, about 10 miles south of Afton Road | Man died of head injuries and a homicide investigation is underway. The decomposing body had been at that location for two to three weeks. | El Paso Times | |
| 30-May 2007 | Male | 40 Years | Canutillo near the bank of the Rio Grande | The case is considered an "unattended death," and investigators are awaiting a toxicology report to determine the cause of death. | El Paso Times |
5-June 2007 |
4 Mexicans and 2 Central Americans | Unknown | Rio Grande | Two Central Americans and Three Mexicans drown in the Rio Bravo. The other was crushed by a train. | La Jornada |
| 28-June 2007 | Male | 62 Years | American Canal, Texas | An immigrant smuggler threw a rock and hit a Border Patrol agent in the head while he was attempting to rescue a drowning man. The agent was forced to protect himself and thus prevented from saving the man's life. | El Paso Times |
| 5-July 2007 | Female | 29 Years | Sasabe, Arizona | Felicitas Martínez Barradas of Tepetlán, Mexico died of heat exhaustion while crossing the Arizona desert with her cousin. Ms. Martínez is survived by her husband and four children. | New York Times |
| 8-August 2007 | Male | Unknown | Three Points, Arizona | A Guatemalan man’s body was found two miles east of Route 286. His uncle and cousin reported the location of his body after they were picked up by the Border Patrol. Pima County authorities are investigating the cause of death. | Tucson Citizen |
| 18-August 2007 | Female | 18 Years | Pima County, Arizona | Prudencia Cruz died of dehydration and exposure while crossing the border to rejoin her husband. Her body was found after laying out for 42 days in the desert west of Tucson, her face eaten off by animals and insects. | The Times Online (UK) |
| 24-August 2007 | Female | 23 Years | Huachuca Mountains | A Guatemalan man detained by Border Patrol agents told them that his niece had become sick and died while they were crossing the mountains. | Tucson Citizen |
| 14-September 2007 | Male | Unknown | Sells, Arizona | A man whose name was withheld was found convulsing on the ground by Border Patrol agents, a sign of heat related death. They attempted CPR, but the man died before medics could arrive. | Tucson Citizen |
| 16-September 2007 | Female | 39 Years | Bisbee County, Arizona | Maria Hernandez Escobedo of Durango, Mexico died of dehydration while crossing the Arizona desert. Her two daughters, Nancy (9) and Sandra (12) lead Border Patrol agents to their mother's body east of Bisbee on Route 80. | Tucson Citizen |
