The United States has taken more action towards protecting its borders. In 2019, The Trump administration began the construction of a 30-foot fence in southern California.
At the time, the former President boasted that the improved barrier would be impregnable by illegal immigrants. “This wall can’t be climbed,” Donald Trump said at a tour in Otay Mesa.
However, this has not stopped migrants from attempting to climb to the other side. According to public health data, since the U.S. government started to increase the height of the Southwest border wall, they have recorded more injuries from those trying to climb over the 30-foot fence.
Doctors say that the falls and fatalities are becoming more frequent, leading to a public health crisis in the communities around the borders. However, the federal and state governments continue working together to construct a new border fence.
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The chief trauma surgeons at the county hospitals in El Paso and San Diego state that at least one person arrives at the hospitals daily with border wall fall-related injuries. They noticed this trend earlier this year. Some of the injuries the patients suffer include cranial injuries, broken foot, and leg bones, shattered ankles, and even more severe injuries to the spine.
The surgical ICU medical director at University Medical Center in El Paso, Dr. Susan McLean, explained that the mortality rate from border wall falls is higher than COVID in the general population. “And it is something that is happening all up and down the border,” she said.
Before coming into office, President. Joe Biden had promised that his administration would not continue the construction of new barriers. However, in October, the Biden administration announced it would construct 20 miles of new border fencing in south Texas. They will build a shorter, moveable fence at Starr County.
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When USA TODAY reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to find out if the agency considers public health consequences when they are designing the fences, the DHS didn’t offer any comment.
However, speaking about the rise in migrant fatality at the border in a statement earlier this year, Custom and Border Protection said, “Crossing the border illegally is inherently dangerous.
CBP urges migrants to seek lawful pathways into the United States and not to place their lives in the hands of human smugglers, whose priority is profit.”
Texas is also set to boost its border security measures. Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star seems to be expanding following the Texas House approval of a $1.54 billion Senate proposal to construct 50 more miles of border fencing.
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When questioned about migrant deaths at the border, Gov. Abbott’s spokesman, Andrew Mahaleris, said, “Texas will continue to utilize every tool and strategy to deter and repel illegal crossings between ports of entry as President Biden’s dangerous open border policies encourage migrants from over 150 countries to illegally enter the country.”
According to Immigration experts, the strict border system and fences do not deter people seeking to leave their countries.
Immigrant advocate Crystal Sandoval, director of crossborder strategies at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, said, “If you are fighting for your life, if you are fighting not to starve to death, for the future of your children and your family, I don’t think a wall or anything is going to stop you. It’s like saying you are going to forget hope.”
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