Migrant deaths have dropped 38 percent on the Arizona border in the last 10 months compared to the same period last year, while a report hails a rise in security along the frontier with Mexico.
According to a report in The Arizona Republic, the Tucson Sector Border Patrol recorded only 132 migrants deaths so far this fiscal year compared with 212 deaths in the same period last year. This has been accompanied by a 44 percent fall in would-be migrants apprehended on the border.
However, the newspaper reports that the two figures may not be linked, as in the previous year a decline in apprehensions came alongside a record number of deaths.
Some finger the economy and a fall in the number of jobs available, saying that this has caused an over-all decrease in illegal migration. According to a report by Miller-McCune, not only is the border more secure than ever, but illegal immigration is falling as the U.S. is becoming a less desirable destination for undocumented laborers.
The Arizona border patrol has begun a public campaign warning migrants of the dangers of crossing the border.
Migrant deaths in Tucson Sector, Arizona:
| Year | Deaths |
| 2009 | 212 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2007 | 202 |
| 2006 | 169 |
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