SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Four people have died so far this year while trying to enter the United States from Tijuana unlawfully, each at distinct points on this stretch of the southern border.
“One was at the ocean where a migrant tried to get around the wall in the water, it happened in January,” said Enrique Lucero, director of Tijuana’s Migrant Affairs Office. “There have been three cases this month, including one in the canal that enters the Tijuana River Valley, one in the mountains where a Haitian migrant died of hypothermia, and this Tuesday, a migrant fell from the wall and died.”
Lucero did not reveal the nationality of the migrant who died this week but said it appears he was from Mexico.
“He died in the Otay Mesa area. His body fell on the American side, authorities in the U.S. intervened and are handling the death,” said Lucero. “We’re trying to confirm his nationality, but sometimes it’s hard as they carry false documents.”
Lucero referenced a video taken from a surveillance camera that shows the migrant getting to the top of the 30-foot fence before losing his balance and landing on his back.
“It’s very dangerous trying to overcome the barrier, especially in Otay Mesa where if you fall, you will land on concrete. In other areas, you might land on soft dirt.”
In 2023, 28 people died trying to get over or around the border barrier between San Diego and Tijuana.
The year before that, the number was 22.
As for migrant apprehensions, there were 24,709 reported in the San Diego Sector during January. In December, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures, there were 34,372.
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