El Paso County adopts resolution denouncing migrant deaths, asks for better data and humanitarian aid

El Paso County Commissioners Court on Jan. 13 adopted a resolution denouncing an ongoing crisis of migrant deaths in the El Paso Border Patrol sector and urging measures to improve counting, search-and-rescue capacity and community-based humanitarian aid.

The resolution, introduced by Commissioner Stout and seconded by Commissioner Olguin, passed on a voice vote. It cites International Organization for Migration figures and local analysis showing rising fatalities in the El Paso sector, and urges county-level steps to make those deaths visible and to coordinate humanitarian responses.

Why it matters: Speakers at the meeting said the fatalities have risen steeply in recent years and are occurring close enough to El Paso that county-level public-health, identification and family-notification systems can and should act. Commenters pressed for the county medical examiner to classify and publish mortality data that would allow researchers and aid groups to target life-saving interventions, such as water placement and canal safety measures.

Community voices and requests

Monsignor Arturo Banuelas, a priest who said he works with Hope Border Institute, told the court, "To ignore this crisis is to deny the humanity and dignity of those who have died." He described finding personal belongings — "backpacks, bibles, medicine, pictures of loved ones" — in desert locations and said harsh enforcement measures increase danger.

Aime Santillan, policy analyst for the Hope Border Institute, said the county must act to collect and publish data and noted demographic details in recent years: "2023 marked the first year that fatalities totaled more than 100. In 2024 we saw almost 200 deaths in the region." She asked the court to "help us collect that data through the office of the medical examiner so that we can understand how to address this public-health crisis."

Robert Tafoya, representing Hope's Migrant Rescue Mission, and Juan Ortiz of La Cruz Rosa, a volunteer humanitarian group, urged formal county support for counting and transparency. Ortiz told the court the deaths are "totally preventable" and stressed that data-sharing makes life-saving placement of water and supplies possible.

Yvonne Diaz, a DACA recipient and longtime community advocate, told commissioners that when relatives go looking for missing loved ones, lack of clear classification in medical examiner records makes identification and family notification difficult.

What the resolution calls for

The adopted resolution: denounces the crisis of migrant deaths in the El Paso sector; commends local humanitarian groups; and recognizes a shared responsibility to pursue a more humane immigration system while pressing for improved government record-keeping, support for search-and-rescue and identification efforts, and policy changes that reduce fatalities.

Official action and next steps

Action recorded: Resolution 9B (migrant deaths) — motion by Commissioner Stout; second by Commissioner Olguin; outcome: adopted. The court directed staff to continue working with community groups and shared its willingness to support requests for data from the medical examiner and lawmakers.

Several commissioners pledged to follow up with state legislators and county departments. The court did not adopt new county ordinances at the meeting; it approved the resolution and signaled support for data collection and coordination with regional and state partners.

Speakers (as identified in the meeting)

- Commissioner Stout (mover of resolution), Commissioner Olguin (second) - Judge Samaniego (County Judge) - Monsignor Arturo Banuelas, priest; Hope Border Institute - Aime Santillan, policy analyst, Hope Border Institute - Robert Tafoya, Hope Migrant Rescue Mission - Juan Ortiz, PhD student, La Cruz Rosa - Victor Adivis, volunteer, La Cruz Roja - Yvonne Diaz, community advocate (DACA recipient)

Authorities

- other: "Prevention through deterrence" (policy implemented in 1994) — referenced_by: ["9b"] - other: "Operation Lone Star" (state enforcement operation) — referenced_by: ["9b"] - other: International Organization for Migration report (cited in resolution) — referenced_by: ["9b"]

Actions

[{ "kind":"resolution", "identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"9b"}, "motion":"Approve and adopt a resolution denouncing the crisis of migrant deaths in the El Paso sector and recognizing the shared responsibility to work toward a humane immigration system.", "mover":"Commissioner Stout", "second":"Commissioner Olguin", "vote_record":[], "tally":{"yes":5,"no":0,"abstain":0}, "outcome":"approved", "notes":"Court directed staff to coordinate with medical examiner and state delegation for improved data collection." }]

Clarifying details

- "2024 fatalities": The resolution and speakers cited that the El Paso Border Patrol sector recorded almost 200 deaths in 2024; the resolution cited a multi-year trend with rising fatalities since 2019–2020. - "Data request": Hope Border Institute and researchers asked specifically that the county medical examiner collect and publish migrant-death classifications to support prevention and identification efforts.

Proper names

[{"name":"Hope Border Institute","type":"organization"},{"name":"La Cruz Rosa","type":"organization"},{"name":"Hope Migrant Rescue Mission","type":"organization"},{"name":"La Cruz Roja","type":"organization"},{"name":"El Paso County","type":"other"}]

Community relevance

- geographies: ["El Paso County","El Paso Border Patrol sector"] - impact_groups: ["migrants","humanitarian volunteers","families of missing persons"]

Meeting context

- engagement_level: {"speakers_count":12,"duration_minutes":65,"items_count":1} - implementation_risk: "medium" - history: [{"date":"2024-05","note":"Rising fatalities noted by local NGOs and researchers"}]

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