What happens to injured migrants and migrants who die trying to cross the border?
In this March 18, 2016, file photo, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol truck patrols the U.S. border with Mexico in Douglas, Ariz. Migrants trekking across the Arizona borderlands have died at higher rates in the two decades since stepped up enforcement began funneling them into remote, hostile desert and mountain regions, a sweeping new analysis concluded Monday, April 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo, File)  EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  In the last week, the Borderland has seen a plethora of migrant deaths, along with numerous injuries. The most recent death was a 24-year-old man from Mexico who died after falling from the border fence, his body discovered Friday morning. On Thursday, the body of a migrant was found in Sunland Park, having succumbed to the heat, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said those bodies will be taken to the El Paso Medical Examiners office. They go to the medical examiners and the medical examiners, from there, they try everything possible to try and contact the family, Samaniego said. Sometimes were very fortunate to be able to contact the families and they can determine whether they want to do something here in El Paso or take them back.  He said that if no one claims the body, it will be buried locally. If a migrant is injured and in need of medical attention, they will be transported to a local hospital for treatment. Samaniego told KTSM 9 News that they are most frequently taken to University Medical Center. We have unfunded mandates, you know, we have to take care of individuals, said Samaniego. And so some we get reimbursed. A lot of it we dont, so it is a burden to the taxpayer obviously, whether at a federal level or just at a local level.  Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center said that once they are released from the hospital, they are sent back to Mexico under Title 42, which allows for migrants to be sent back to Mexico over COVID-19 concerns. Were still seeing people returned with very serious injuries after theyve made some measure of recovery. So they might not be fully recovered, but they might be able to walk again and suddenly they are returned to Mexico, said Brooke Bischoff, managing attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center. Bischoff added that if the person is in serious condition, they may be able to stay in some circumstances. What we are seeing is really only in the most severe cases are people put into the hospital and then put into regular asylum proceedings from inside the United States, Bischoff said. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator sent KTSM a statement about the procedure for bodies from other countries. In the statement, NMOMI explained that the office contacts the deceased persons home country and tries to locate the family. Depending on where the family is located, the decedent may sometimes be transferred to their home country for burial, based on the familys wishes. OMI exercises its due diligence to locate next of kin, but if left unclaimed, OMI follows procedures for indigent burial, during which the decedent is transported back to the county of death for indigent burial or cremation, the statement read in part. For local and breaking news, sports, weather alerts, video and more, download the FREE KTSM 9 News App from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.