Navigating perils at the US-Mexico border: an illustrated exploration of trauma among southern border migrants
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Abstract
The number of migrants seeking refuge and asylum in the United States continues to increase yearly, exacerbated by the recent Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The total number of U.S border patrol encounters has now exceeded 2.7 million in 2022, which is a more than 5-fold increase from 2017. Current published literature suggests that most border-related injuries are related to boarder-wall crossing, fleeing, and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). Our institution is near a large portion of the border, and we treat a high number of migrants who sustain injuries while attempting to cross the border. In addition to categorizing these injuries by organ-based system, we classify these injuries as relating to desert crossing, border wall crossing, fleeing (which includes MVCs), and traveling on trains. In this pictorial essay, we present imaging and clinical findings of traumatic and non-traumatic injuries related to border crossing events
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2. Palacio CH, Cruz B, Vanier C, Cano J, Scott BG. The mechanism and pattern of injuries of undocumented immigrants crossing the Texas-Mexico border along the Rio Grande valley. Inj Epidemiol. 2021;8:1-9.
3. Cortés‐Ramos J, Farfán LM, Brito‐Castillo L. Extreme freezing in the Sonoran desert, Mexico: intense and short‐duration events. International Journal of Climatology. 2021;41(8):4339-58.
4. Navarro‐Estupiñan J, Robles‐Morua A, Vivoni ER, Zepeda JE, Montoya JA, Verduzco VS. Observed trends and future projections of extreme heat events in Sonora, Mexico. International Journal of Climatology. 2018;38(14):5168-81.
5. Bouchama A, Knochel JP. Heat stroke. N Engl J Med. 2002;346(25):1978-88.
6. Tonna JE, Lewin MR, Hahn I-H, Platts-Mills TF, Norell MA. A prospective, multi-year analysis of illness and injury during summer travel to arid environments. Wilderness Environ Med. 2009;20(2):107-12.
7. Azad S, McCague A, Henken-Siefken A. Increased mortality and morbidity due to the increase in border wall height. Cureus. 2023;15(12).
8. Lapostolle F, Gere C, Borron SW, Pétrovic T, Dallemagne F, Beruben A, et al. Prognostic factors in victims of falls from height. Crit Care Med. 2005;33(6):1239-42.
9. Liepert AE, Berndtson AE, Hill LL, Weaver JL, Godat LN, Costantini TW, Doucet JJ. Association of 30-ft US-Mexico border wall in San Diego with increased migrant deaths, trauma center admissions, and injury severity. JAMA Surg. 2022;157(7):633-5.
10. Demetriades D, Murray J, Brown C, Velmahos G, Salim A, Alo K, Rhee P. High-level falls: type and severity of injuries and survival outcome according to age. J Trauma. 2005;58(2):342-5.
11. Ramey WL, Walter CM, Zeller J, Dumont TM, Lemole GM, Hurlbert RJ. Neurotrauma from border wall jumping: 6 years at the Mexican-American border wall. Neurosurgery. 2019;85(3):e502-e8.
12. Tenorio A, Brandel MG, Produturi GR, McCann CP, Doucet JJ, Costantini TW, Ciacci JD. The impact of the Mexico-San Diego border wall extension on spine injuries: a retrospective cohort review. J Travel Med. 2022;29(7).
13. Rowbotham SK, Blau S. Skeletal fractures resulting from fatal falls: a review of the literature. Forensic Sci Int. 2016;266:582.e1-e15.
14. M J. A car crash in the California desert: how 13 died riding in one S.U.V. . New York Times. 2021.
15. Enigmur (2014). Central American migrants and “La Bestia”: the route, dangers, and government responses, Rodrigo Dominguez Villegas, migrationpolicy.org, 10/09/2014..
16. Chattar-Cora D, Tutela RR, Jr., Daum AN, Cromack DT. Experience with railroad injuries at a major urban trauma center serving the United States-Mexico border. J Trauma. 2007;62(5):1123-6.
17. McLean SF, Tyroch AH. Injuries sustained after falls from bridges across the United States-Mexico border at El Paso. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2012;31(5):427-34.
18. Buchanan EP, Hopper RA, Suver DW, Hayes AG, Gruss JS, Birgfeld CB. Zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures and their association with naso-orbito-ethmoid fractures: a 5-year review. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012;130(6):1296-304.
19. Cadena J, Hartzler A, Hsue G, Longfield RN. Coccidioidomycosis and tuberculosis coinfection at a tuberculosis hospital: clinical features and literature review. Medicine (Baltimore). 2009;88(1):66-76.
20. Dwight KD, Kent WT, Hughes-Austin JM. Musculoskeletal injuries sustained at the California, USA: Baja California, Mexico border. Inj Epidemiol. 2022;9(1):27.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 8 No 2 (2024): Spring (April) | |
| Section | Case (report / study) | |
| DOI | 10.18502/fem.v8i2.15466 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Border Wall Desert Crossing Undeserved Populations | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Greenhill M, Natali S, Mushtaq R, Schmit B. Navigating perils at the US-Mexico border: an illustrated exploration of trauma among southern border migrants. Front Emerg Med. 2024;8(2):e18.
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