On September 30, 2014, this segment won a News & Documentary Emmy Award.

This broadcast is the third in a series; see Part 1 and Part 2.

While the number of illegal crossings at the border has plummeted dramatically — roughly half the number than during peak years — just as many people are dying. Meaning for those coming into the country illegally, it is now more deadly, more lethal, than at any time in recent U.S. immigration history.

  • Abuse of Force at the Border

    Read more from our award-winning series “Abuse of Force at the Border,” which exposes excessive use of force by U.S. Border Patrol agents. The series culminated in a review of force by Customs and Border Protection and agency-wide reforms.

For years the age of those dying has been constant — they have been young — but today, these statistics are changing. According to two recent studies, what may be compelling older immigrants to risk death in the desert is this: more and more often, they are mothers and fathers who have long had homes in the United States, with American children who depend on them.

Map of border deaths

SOURCE: HUMANE BORDERS

This segment was produced in partnership with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute, now known as Type Investigations.