73 Migrant Bodies Found in the Arizona Desert So Far in 2026

• 73 bodies recovered in the Arizona desert
• Deaths increased by 24%
• Crossings are becoming more dangerous

The Arizona desert is once again showing the deadliest side of irregular crossings into the United States during the first seven months of 2026.

Authorities recovered 73 migrant bodies in the border area with Mexico, while high summer temperatures increase the dangers faced by those attempting to cross the most remote areas.

The humanitarian organization Fronteras Compasivas reported that the figure represents 14 more bodies than the 59 recorded during the same period in 2025, equivalent to a 24% increase.

Migrant Deaths Increase in 2026 as People Seek More Remote Routes to Cross

Migrant groups working along the border say part of the increase could be related to migrants who had lived in the United States for years, were deported, and later attempted to return because they had left behind families and established lives in the country.

The search for routes farther away from border surveillance may also be pushing these people into areas where natural conditions make the journey even more dangerous.

“The people who are dying are not people who are trying to cross the border for the first time. They are migrants who have previously been deported and are trying to cross again at all costs and reunite with their families,” Dora Rodríguez, a migrant activist and advocate who runs a shelter on the Arizona border, told EFE.

Rodríguez said the administration of President Donald Trump is arresting and deporting migrants who have lived irregularly in the United States for many years, including people who own homes or businesses and who later turn to smugglers for help attempting to return.

Migrants Avoid Surrendering and Enter Areas Considered More Dangerous

According to the activist, there has also been a change in the way some migrants attempt to reenter the United States, as they seek to avoid detection by authorities.

“Unlike before, migrants are no longer looking for Border Patrol agents to turn themselves in and be processed. We have gone back to what happened before: they seek to cross through the most remote areas and avoid detection, places that are more dangerous and where they face greater risks,” she explained.

This search for more remote areas can expose migrants to extreme Arizona desert conditions for longer periods, particularly during the summer months.

In July alone, authorities recovered 19 migrant bodies from the desert, at a time when temperatures can easily exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit, or approximately 43 degrees Celsius, in several regions.

Extreme Temperatures Increase the Danger of Trying to Return to the United States

The risk has not stopped people of different ages from attempting to cross the border again after being deported.

“We have even seen grandparents who are willing to attempt to cross back despite the enormous risk,” the activist said.

Rodríguez explained that Mexico continues to accept migrants from other countries who are deported from the United States, and that some subsequently seek to return to reunite with their relatives.

Those attempts can involve irregular crossings through the Arizona desert and, in some cases, end in migrant deaths.

Forensic Reports Help Put Arizona’s Migrant Deaths Into Perspective

The figures released by Fronteras Compasivas are based on reports from the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The office receives the bodies of migrants found along the Arizona border, meaning its records make it possible to track the number of deaths documented in the region.

The first seven months of 2026 therefore show an increase compared with the same period last year, with 73 bodies recovered compared with the 59 recorded during that period in 2025.

The situation is unfolding in the middle of summer, when extreme temperatures make journeys through Arizona’s remote desert areas an additional danger for migrants seeking to reenter the United States.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: U.S. Cancels More Than 175,000 Visas

SOURCE: EFE