Pima County Records 19 Migrant Remains in July, Highest Monthly Total Since 2024

The remains of 19 migrants, including children, were recovered along the Arizona-Mexico border in July 2026, according to newly released figures from the Pima County medical examiner’s office.

The monthly count was the highest recorded in the area since 2024. It brought the total number of remains recovered this year to 73, which is 14 more than during the same period in 2025.

Humane Borders, a nonprofit that works with Pima County to track migrant deaths and helps people facing dehydration and exposure, says at least 4,505 migrants have died in the Arizona desert over the past 25 years. The most common reported causes include dehydration and exposure, while hypothermia and injuries from falls also contribute.

Researchers cautioned that official recoveries are likely to understate the true toll. Bodies may be found by hikers or law-enforcement officers only by chance, and desert conditions and animals can rapidly disperse remains.

The latest figures come as crossings through the region remain dangerous despite a decline in recorded encounters at the border. The United States has tightened access to asylum appointments and revived policies requiring some asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while cases proceed.

Migration researchers and advocates say those measures can push people toward more remote routes. They also point to violence and instability in migrants’ home countries as factors that continue to drive journeys despite extreme heat, the risk of arrest and the possibility of death.

The county data measure remains that were recovered; they do not provide a complete count of everyone who died while attempting to cross the desert.