High rates of migrant fatalities at the U.S. southern border represent an ongoing mass disaster that is the product of Prevention through Deterrence policies funneling migrants into remote and deadly terrain. Due to a fragmented, underresourced, and overwhelmed medicolegal system in South Texas, the majority of unidentified migrant decedents recovered in the region are buried without proper investigation or genetic sampling. The present study examines the effects that South Texas burial practices have on the ability to recover and identify deceased migrant individuals, in addition to assessing the care and respect with which their remains are treated. Utilizing forensic archaeological and case records data pertaining to 103 burials of unidentified migrant decedents exhumed by Operation Identification at Texas State University across three South Texas counties, the present study reveals problematic patterns with migrant death management practices and generates preliminary recommendations for burial improvement.

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一目了然：当前的埋葬做法如何影响德克萨斯州南部的移民死亡调查

美国南部边境的高移民死亡率代表了一场持续的大规模灾难，这是通过威慑政策将移民引入偏远和致命地区的预防措施的产物。由于南德克萨斯州的法医系统支离破碎、资源不足和不堪重负，在该地区发现的大多数身份不明的移民死者在没有适当调查或基因取样的情况下被掩埋。本研究检查了南德克萨斯埋葬做法对恢复和识别已故移民个人的能力的影响，此外还评估了他们的遗体受到的照顾和尊重。