TUCSON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- The number of deaths in Arizona's Pima County among Mexicans trying to get into the United States illegally could hit a new record this year, officials say.
So far, 170 bodies have been found in the desert, the Los Angeles Times reports. In 2007, 218 bodies were discovered, the largest number so far.
Eric Peters, the county's deputy chief medical examiner, said he expected publicity about the new Arizona immigration law to reduce the number of border crossers and thus the number of deaths. But that has not proved true, with 59 bodies found in July, including seven on July 15, when temperatures reached 108 degrees.
Arrests of border crossers, an important measure of how many people actually make the dangerous journey, have dropped by 61 percent since 2000 and are down by 5 percent this year compared to last, the Times said. Experts say the economic slump has convinced many Mexicans to stay home.
Advocates for immigrants suggest the high number of deaths this year comes from temperatures high even by Arizona standards. They also suggest immigrants are making the dangerous trip across the desert because of increased enforcement elsewhere.
Two-thirds of the bodies found in Pima County this year have not been identified.
