文：曾維燊
圖：美聯社
美墨邊境橫跨數個沙漠地帶，是全球最致命的陸路偷渡路線之一。每年有數以百計的移民為了偷渡進入美國，冒險穿越炎熱、乾旱、無人煙的沙漠，導致大量死亡事件。美國海關及邊境保護局每年都在這一地帶發現大量遺體，但實際死亡人數可能遠高於官方統計。
沙漠偷渡路線與死因
偷渡旅程通常始於中美或南美，移民付錢給導引者「coyote」帶領他們經人煙稀少的沙漠路段偷渡。過去是由coyote親自帶隊，現今則多改為遙距指導，甚至要求移民購買「偷渡套裝」，包括偽裝衣物、手機與地毯底鞋，以免留下腳印。最短路段也需步行約43英里，耗時兩至三日，其他路線更需行走六至十日。即使攜帶8加侖水亦可能無法支撐整程，缺水、中暑、迷路、失溫皆可能致命。
FILE – Carlow Eduardo Espina places roses on a makeshift memorial at the site where officials found dozens of people dead in a semitrailer containing suspected migrants, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in San Antonio. The deadliest smuggling attempt in U.S. history illustrated the limitations of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s massive border apparatus after 53 migrants were found dead or dying in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay File)
死亡統計與地理風險
美墨邊境長達1,920英里，橫跨索諾蘭沙漠（Sonoran Desert）與奇瓦瓦沙漠（Chihuahuan Desert），後者為北美最大沙漠。該地區夏季氣溫可達118華氏度，部分區域接近軍事演習地，如亞利桑那州的Barry M. Goldwater靶場，亦曾發現疑似爆炸致死遺骸。
根據統計，自1990年代中起，已有8,000至10,000人死於偷渡路線上，2021年錄得557宗死亡，2022年達748宗，創下新高。其中，德州埃爾帕索（El Paso）一帶曾被視為相對安全區，但自2022年下旬起德州州長推動「孤星行動」（Operation Lone Star）後，該區死亡人數急增，2023至2024年間多達299宗，是全邊境最危險路段。
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT – In this March 2, 2021, photo released by the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office show human skeletal remains of migrants crossing the U.S. – Mexico border are found in Brooks County, Texas. The stretch of land 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of the U.S.-Mexico border is dangerous, and many have died. But some migrants, usually single adults, are willing to take the risk, walking through the shrub-invaded grasslands on the sprawling ranches, seeking dirt paths to circumvent a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on a major highway where agents verify people’s immigration status. In Brooks County in the Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, local officials have recovered 40 bodies of migrants in the brush so far this year. In all of 2020, they found 34 bodies, though the coronavirus pandemic vastly reduced the numbers of people coming to the United States. (Brooks County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
非法偷渡形式多樣，風險不只限沙漠
除徒步外，亦有移民被走私至貨車或拖車內偷渡，如2022年德州聖安東尼奧（San Antonio）一輛拖車內發現53具遺體。其他風險還包括翻越高達29呎的圍欄導致摔死或重傷，曾發生移民懸掛倒吊在安全裝備上窒息而亡的悲劇。
FILE – Police and other first responders work the scene where officials say dozens of people have been found dead and multiple others were taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses after a semitrailer containing suspected migrants was found, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. Following the horror of 53 migrants found dead or dying in Texas. The deadliest smuggling attempt in U.S. history illustrated the limitations of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s massive border apparatus after 53 migrants were found dead or dying in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
救援與志願行動
政府與志願組織合作設立「Project 911」計劃，在偏遠地段設置太陽能「求救燈塔」，供迷路者求援。志願者如「沙漠之鷹」（Eagles of the Desert）與「沙漠牧師」（Desert Chaplain）團隊，每月深入沙漠救援，或尋找遺體並通知家屬。他們亦會在發現人類遺骸處綁上粉紅絲帶、設置十字架，盡力給亡者尊嚴。
不少志願者表示，除了墨西哥與薩爾瓦多貨幣，現在也開始發現來自巴西、哥倫比亞與巴拿馬的紙幣，說明跨越沙漠的偷渡者來自整個南美洲。但有心人士蓄意破壞志願者留下的水資源，導致更多人渴死，甚至在小孩遺留的衣物旁，也可見被割爛的水瓶。
移民偷渡美國的危險性日益上升，邊境封鎖與政策限制只讓更多人選擇更致命的路線。無論是酷暑、寒冬、軍事地雷區，或密閉車廂，每一條路都是血淚交織的代價。當局固然設法救援，但在制度缺口下，是無數民間志工撐起最後一道人道防線。
