by Christine Ahn with Melissa Moore and Nick Parker of FOOD FIRST: Institute for Food and Development Policy In June 2003, Artimo and his brother, Mario, crammed into the back seat of a car driven by immigrant smugglers known as coyotes. They were on their way to Washington to pick apples and cherries. Throughout their journey across the mountainous terrain from Tijuana to San Diego, they were forced to crouch down to avoid being seen. When sirens began to wail, the driver sped up, lost control, and collided into another car. Although Artimo suffered three broken ribs and other injuries, he was the only one to survive. (1)
Thousands of migrants risk death and incarceration daily by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. In the blistering 115-degree Arizona May heat in 2001, 14 immigrants perished in the rugged desert days after smugglers abandoned them. (2) In 2003, 17 immigrants, including a 5-year old boy, died of dehydration in the back of an abandoned truck in Texas. (3) Despite the danger, 'illegal' migration rates jumped 25 percent last year, (4) and deaths have risen since 1994. Approximately 99 people die annually from exposure to heat, cold, and dehydration, compared with an average of six deaths in 1994. (5)
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