A disturbing trend and how immigration enforcement helps solve it

By Timothy Page

Every year, thousands of people disappear while attempting to cross borders or while living without legal documentation in the United States. These disappearances represent more than statistics—they are families torn apart, communities left searching for answers, and lives lost to a system that often fails to protect the most vulnerable.

The United States is home to an estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants as of 2023, according to the Center for Migration Studies¹. This population faces unique dangers that can lead to disappearances and deaths, often without proper documentation or investigation.

The most visible aspect of this crisis occurs at the border. Since 1998, at least 8,000 undocumented migrants have died attempting to cross the border from Mexico to the United States². The U.S. Border Patrol recorded 557 southwest border deaths during fiscal year 2021 and 748 deaths in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2022—the highest number ever recorded³. The primary causes of these deaths include exposure, heat stroke, dehydration, and hypothermia.

In fiscal year 2024, U.S. Border Patrol conducted 4,068 rescues, highlighting the dangerous conditions migrants face⁴. However, these rescue statistics only capture a fraction of those who go missing or die in remote desert areas where remains may never be discovered.

The Documentation Gap: Why Going Missing is More Dangerous

For undocumented immigrants, the lack of legal documentation creates a perfect storm of vulnerability when someone goes missing. Unlike documented residents, undocumented individuals often avoid contact with law enforcement due to fear of deportation, making them less likely to report missing persons or seek help. They frequently lack official identification that would help authorities identify remains or track their movements, and may have limited family connections who can advocate for them with authorities. Many work in isolated conditions where disappearances may go unnoticed for extended periods, and face language barriers that complicate communication with emergency services.

This documentation gap means that when undocumented immigrants disappear, investigations may be delayed, families may never receive answers, and perpetrators may escape justice.

Beyond the Border: Dangers in Daily Life

While border crossings represent the most documented source of migrant deaths, undocumented immigrants face ongoing risks once they reach their destinations. The fear of deportation creates conditions where workplace exploitation can turn deadly, as employers may ignore safety regulations knowing workers won’t report violations. Domestic violence goes unreported, leaving victims trapped in dangerous situations, while human trafficking thrives in communities where people are afraid to seek help. Medical emergencies may go untreated due to fear of immigration enforcement, creating additional risks for vulnerable populations.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data, as of July 2024, nearly 650,000 individuals with criminal histories were on ICE’s Non-Detained Docket, highlighting the complexity of tracking individuals within the undocumented population⁵.

The Ripple Effect on Families and Communities

When an undocumented immigrant goes missing, the impact extends far beyond the individual. Families often face impossible choices: remain silent and hope their loved one returns, or risk deportation by seeking help from authorities. This silence creates a culture where disappearances may go unreported for days, weeks, or even months.

Mixed-status families—where some members have legal status while others don’t—face particular anguish. Children who are U.S. citizens may lose parents to both deportation and disappearance, creating long-term trauma that affects entire communities.

The Vermont Connection

Vermont, despite its small size and distance from the Mexican border, is not immune to these challenges. According to the Pew Research Center, Vermont is home to fewer than 5,000 undocumented individuals, mostly Mexican and Central American farm workers⁶.

The state sees an average of 180 missing persons reports annually⁷, and while the specific number of missing undocumented immigrants isn’t separately tracked, the rural nature of Vermont creates unique vulnerabilities. Agricultural work—where many undocumented immigrants find employment—often involves isolated work locations where someone could disappear without immediate notice, seasonal employment patterns that make it difficult to distinguish between someone who has moved on and someone who has gone missing, and housing in remote areas where neighbors may not know each other well enough to notice disappearances.

Vermont’s harsh winters add another layer of danger. Unlike southern border states, where exposure deaths are primarily heat-related, Vermont’s cold climate can be equally deadly for those without proper shelter or documentation to access services.

The state’s small undocumented population also means that disappearances may have an outsized impact on tight-knit communities. When someone goes missing from a community of fewer than 5,000 people, the loss reverberates through networks of mutual support that are often essential for survival.

How Immigration Enforcement Can Reduce These Dangers

Contrary to what some might expect, stronger immigration enforcement—when implemented strategically—can actually help address many of the dangers that lead to disappearances and deaths among undocumented populations. Recent data supports this counterintuitive relationship.

The most dramatic evidence comes from border crossing statistics. In March 2025, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 7,181 illegal aliens crossing the southwest border between ports of entry, representing a 95% decrease from March 2024 when they apprehended 137,473 aliens⁸. Border Patrol encounters for May 2025 showed a 93% decrease from May 2024 when they encountered 117,905 aliens, with encounter numbers continuing to hold at historic lows, reflecting a border that is more secure, more controlled, and hitting unprecedented levels of operational success⁹. This massive reduction in illegal border crossings directly correlates with fewer deaths, as the International Organization for Migration documented 686 deaths and disappearances of migrants on the US-Mexico border in 2022, making it the deadliest land route for migrants worldwide.

When enforcement is predictable and consistent, it creates powerful deterrent effects that prevent people from attempting dangerous crossings in the first place. Historical data shows that targeted enforcement can be effective: the Arizona Border Control Initiative was responsible for 27 fewer deaths in the Tucson Sector between March 16, 2004, and September 30, 2004—a 26-percent reduction in such deaths compared with the same period the previous year.

Enforcement also disrupts criminal networks that exploit vulnerable migrants. More than 390 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist have been apprehended attempting to cross our Southwest and northern borders between ports of entry since the beginning of FY2021—an increase of more than 3,000 percent compared to FY2017-2020. When enforcement is weak, these same criminal networks expand their operations into human trafficking and other forms of exploitation that put undocumented immigrants at greater risk of disappearing. The U.S. Border Patrol conducted 402 rescues in December 2024 alone, and has recorded 1,175 rescues in fiscal year 2025 through December¹⁰. This rescue data demonstrates that enforcement operations often serve as life-saving interventions for migrants in distress.

Interior enforcement is also showing effectiveness. During fiscal year 2024, ICE made 113,431 arrests¹¹, and in the third quarter of FY2024, ICE removed nearly 68,000 individual noncitizens, reflecting a 69% increase over removals during the third quarter in fiscal year 2023¹². These enforcement actions target not just unauthorized presence, but criminal networks that exploit vulnerable populations.

Effective enforcement creates incentives for legal immigration pathways. When people understand that illegal entry carries high risks of apprehension and deportation, they are more likely to pursue legal channels. This shift toward legal immigration dramatically reduces the vulnerability that leads to disappearances, as people with legal status can access law enforcement protection, medical care, and social services without fear.

The enforcement approach also helps combat human trafficking by making it more difficult for traffickers to operate. An estimated 199,000 human trafficking incidents occur in the United States every year¹³, with digital tools amplifying the reach, scale, and speed of trafficking as perpetrators use dating apps and online ads to recruit victims¹⁴. The Department of Treasury reported in 2024 on the increasing use of virtual assets and cryptocurrency to make payments or transfer illicit proceeds from online child sexual exploitation and human trafficking¹⁵. Traffickers often take advantage of vulnerable individuals, including those lacking lawful immigration status, and when immigration enforcement is consistent, it becomes harder for trafficking networks to move victims across borders and keep them hidden within communities.

For those already in the United States, enforcement paired with victim protection programs creates a pathway out of exploitation. Immigration relief provides a path for victims to stabilize their status in the United States and build a sense of safety and security, but this relief is most effective when enforcement against traffickers and exploiters is robust.

The Path Forward: Enforcement and Protection Working Together

The solution to this crisis requires recognizing that documentation serves as a fundamental form of protection, but that protection must be paired with enforcement that deters dangerous behavior and criminal exploitation. When people have legal status, they are more likely to report crimes against themselves and others, able to access emergency services without fear, protected by labor laws that prevent exploitation, and connected to support systems that can help when they’re in danger.

A comprehensive approach includes consistent border enforcement that deters dangerous crossings, robust interior enforcement that disrupts criminal networks exploiting undocumented immigrants, expanded legal immigration pathways that provide safe alternatives to illegal entry, victim protection programs that help those already exploited escape dangerous situations, and community partnerships that connect immigrants with legal services and support systems.

This balanced approach recognizes that while humanitarian concerns are important, the most effective way to prevent disappearances and deaths is to reduce the number of people living in vulnerable, undocumented status through a combination of enforcement that deters illegal entry and expanded legal pathways that provide safe alternatives.

The disappearance of undocumented immigrants represents a hidden humanitarian crisis that affects communities nationwide, including rural states like Vermont. While the numbers may seem small compared to border deaths, each disappearance represents a family destroyed and a community made less safe.

The lack of documentation doesn’t just affect the individuals who go missing—it affects their families, their communities, and society’s ability to protect all residents. Until we address the fundamental vulnerabilities created by undocumented status, we will continue to see people disappear into the shadows, leaving families without answers and communities without justice.

The solution requires both policy changes and community action. By recognizing that documentation serves as a form of protection, we can begin to address the root causes that make disappearances more likely and more difficult to investigate. Only then can we hope to prevent the next tragedy and ensure that all people, regardless of their immigration status, are protected from the dangers of going missing.

Footnotes:

1. Center for Migration Studies, “US Undocumented Population Increased to 11.7 Million in July 2023,” September 2024
2. USAFacts, “How many people die crossing the US-Mexico border?” August 2024
3. Wikipedia, “Migrant deaths along the Mexico–United States border,” June 2025
4. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “CBP Releases June 2024 Monthly Update”
5. Committee on Homeland Security, “Fiscal Year 2024 Ends With Nearly 3 Million Inadmissible Encounters,” October 2024
6. Vermont Department of Health, “2024 Overview of the State”
7. NFound Samaritan Project, “Missing Persons in Vermont: A State of Concern,” September 2024
8. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “CBP releases March 2025 monthly update,” March 2025
9. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “CBP Releases May 2025 Monthly Update,” May 2025
10. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “CBP Releases December 2024 Monthly Update,” December 2024
11. Department of Homeland Security, “100 Days of Fighting Fake News,” April 2025
12. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “ICE enforcement and removal statistics for Q2, Q3 of FY 2024 reflect nearly 70% increase over Q3 of FY 2023,” January 2025
13. World Population Review, “Human Trafficking Statistics by State 2025,” 2025
14. U.S. Department of State, “2024 Trafficking in Persons Report,” April 2025
15. U.S. Department of State, “2024 Trafficking in Persons Report: United States,” June 2024