The Story of a father and his two children

This route map is about a story of a father, driven by the fear of political persecution, embarked on a lengthy and perilous journey with his two children to reunite with their mother in the United States.

Hangzhou --> Shanghai --> Hong Kong

They started from the city of Hangzhou in China, took a train to Shanghai, then took a flight to Hong Kong

Hong Kong --> Istanbul

They left the country through an international flight from Hong Kong

Istanbul --> Quito

From Istanbul, they took an international flight and arrived in Quito.

Quito --> Colombia

A bus ride from Quito, Ecuador brought them to Colombia

Panama Rainforest

After a boat ride from Nekore into the Panama Rainforest, they camped in the rainforest for the next couple days

Panama --> Mexico

They eventually made their way to Mexico City after rafting through the dangerous currents along the Guatemala-Mexico border and taking a motorboat from Tapachula to Oaxaca.

US-Mexico Border

Once they arrived at Tijuana, they crossed the border wall and made it to San Diego, California.

San Diego --> New York

The family reunited in New York and currently live in Mexico, but few migrants who accompanied them along their journey did not make it to their final destination.

ONE OF MANY STORIES

The story of this father and his two children is just one of many stories. Over the past nine years, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has documented 8,569 cases of migrants and refugees either dying or going missing during border crossings.

REGION OF DEATHS/MISSING

While these incidents have occurred throughout the Americas, North America stands out as the region with the highest frequency and greatest number of casualties.

CAUSE OF DEATHS/MISSING

The reasons for these fatalities encompass a range of factors: violence, drowning, exposure to harsh environments, hazardous transportation, accidental death, and inaccessibility to healthcare. Notably, drowning is identified as the leading known cause among these deaths.

ORIGIN COUNTRY OF THESE IMMIGRANTS

The primary source countries for these immigrants include Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Nicaragua, with Mexico being the predominant origin.

Geolocation of deaths& missing

A significant number of missing and death cases among migrants have been recorded along the US-Mexico Border. While a large proportion of these incidents occur near Arizona, it's notable that Texas reports a higher number of deaths per case. This alarming trend underscores the extreme dangers faced by individuals in these areas during their attempts to cross the border.

The number of death

57-123
29-56
12-28
4-11
0-3

DATASETS & METHODOLOGY

This story is based on datasets from interviews with immigrants and Missing Migrants Project by International Organization for Migration (IOM).

What's included in the dataset?

The Missing Migrants Project meticulously tracks the deaths of migrants at the external borders of states or during their migration to international destinations, irrespective of their legal status. This project includes fatalities resulting from transportation accidents, shipwrecks, violent attacks, or medical complications that occur during migration. Additionally, it counts unidentified corpses found at border crossings, presumed to be migrants based on their belongings or death circumstances.

What's excluded in the dataset?

However, the project does not include deaths occurring in immigration detention facilities, post-deportation, or those loosely connected with migrants' irregular status, such as deaths resulting from labor exploitation. Deaths in refugee camps, housing, or of internally displaced persons within their own country are also excluded.

What's the source of the dataset?

Data for this project are sourced from various channels including official records from coast guards and medical examiners, media reports, NGOs, and migrant interviews. In the Mediterranean, for example, data is relayed from national authorities to IOM, then to the Missing Migrants Project team. For the US/Mexico border, information is compiled from U.S. county medical examiners, coroners, and sheriff's offices, supplemented by media reports for incidents on the Mexican side.

What are the challenges?

The challenge in collecting data on migrant fatalities lies in the nature of their travel - often via irregular means and through remote areas. This leads to delayed or non-discovery of bodies and underreporting of deaths. Additionally, fear of reporting among survivors, especially in instances involving criminal actors, further complicates data collection. It's also noted that data tends to over-represent regions with better media coverage and official reporting, leading to gaps in knowledge about migrant deaths in regions with high levels of irregular migration.

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