Immigration Groups Say ‘Cruel’ Border Policies Lead to Migrant Heat Deaths

Extreme heat is a leading cause of migrant death along the U.S. border, and now a coalition of 68 environmental and immigration groups is urging the Biden administration to act to change that as the climate crisis worsens.

In a letter published Wednesday, Human Rights Watch, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and 66 other immigration and environmental advocacy groups urged the Department of Homeland Security administration to change harsh border policies that push migrants toward experiencing extreme heat in unforgiving terrain, putting lives at risk. 

“These harsh border policies aren't doing anything to actually stop migration,” said Clara Long, associate director of the U.S. program at Human Rights Watch. “They're just driving rights abuses. And this seemed like a really important point to be making to the Biden administration, not just because of its border promises but also because it made promises about addressing climate.”

Specifically, the groups point to the country’s “prevention-through-deterrence” approach to immigration policy, which is based on a 1994 border plan that the government acknowledged would force migrants and asylum seekers to cover “hostile terrain” where they would experience “searing heat” that would put them in “mortal danger.” As a result of these policies, migrants often travel through life-threatening conditions, including large swaths of isolated desert, to reach the US border, where they are notably vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, the letter notes—reforming this slate of “cruel” policies could change that, the letter argues.

“Preparing for migration in a changing climate means moving away from the deterrence paradigm and problematic ‘Do Not Come’ messaging, which ignores the lived realities of people fleeing for their lives and their right to seek safety,” the letter says. “The US strategy to address migration in the context of climate change should be rooted in human rights and humanitarian protection.”

Extreme heat is responsible for an estimated 73 percent of migrant deaths near ports of entry, according to a 2006 study in the American Journal of Public Health. It’s followed by vehicle crashes and drownings as the leading cause of migrant deaths—at eight and six percent, respectively, the latter two causes pale in comparison to the toll that extreme heat takes on individuals aiming to reach the U.S. and those who have been deported from it.

These statistics are only going to worsen as extreme heat grows in frequency and severity in the US, the groups caution. 

The number of extremely hot days across the world has grown by 11.9 per year on average since the 1970s, according to one analysis by Climate Central. In the region surrounding the US-Mexico border, the number of days over 100°F per year is expected to climb to 60 by midcentury, up from the annual average of 28 between 1971 and 2000, the report notes, not accounting for the impact of extreme evening lows that will come with daily temperature spikes in the desert. 

Heat waves are the deadliest form of natural disaster in the U.S., and marginalized individuals such as elderly people, low-income and unhoused individuals, and those living in isolation are among the most vulnerable, because they seldom have access to shelter from sweltering conditions. Extreme heat can lead to cramps and fatigue, heat stroke, heart attacks and kidney disease; it can exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory conditions; when combined with humidity in what are known as wet bulb conditions, in which the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere makes it difficult for the body to release heat via sweat, it becomes even more deadly, causing the body to shut down without respite. 

Reducing the number of migrant heat deaths is as much a policy question as it is a climate one, the letter argues. Eliminating “do not come” messaging that the U.S. deploys to migrants overseas is a start, as is developing climate adaptation strategies along the border, including creating cooling stations and building a rescue team to monitor at-risk populations 24 hours a day. 

The authors point to a number of examples in which Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents have squashed humanitarian efforts along ports of entry, damaging water drop sites and prosecuting individuals who aim to provide water, food and medical care to those traveling near the border. Halting the intimidation and harassment of these individuals will save lives during heat waves, the letter says. 

“The Biden border looks and feels very much like the Trump border,” Long said. “There should be a real focus on creating safe and legal ways to move people, as a matter of adaptation to climate change.”