Border Wall Falls Plummet as Military Crackdown Shuts Down Crossings

The number of people sustaining serious injuries from falling off the U.S.-Mexico border wall in San Diego County has significantly declined following intensified security measures implemented by the Trump administration, according to reports from local hospitals.

The drop coincides with a national border emergency declared on January 22, which led to the deployment of military units along the border and a corresponding increase in security measures by the Mexican National Guard. Border Patrol statistics show a substantial decrease in attempted crossings in the San Diego Sector, with 1,650 reported encounters in February compared to 31,562 in February 2024.

The San Diego Union-Tribune collected data from two trauma hospitals that treat those injuries in a piece published on Wednesday. UC San Diego Health reported treating 25 such injuries this year, compared to 153 during the first three months of 2024 while Scripps Health reported treating 10 cases in January and none in February, down from 32 and 42 in the same months last year.

As the news site reports, border falls increased sharply after the Trump administration increased the height of the wall to 30 feet during the his first term. Prior to this change, in 2019, UCSD Health reported treating fewer than 60 patients who had fallen from the border wall.

In 2024, Scripps treated 524 border wall fall patients, up from 189 in 2023 and 239 in 2022. UC San Diego Health reported a 63% increase in trauma cases over an 18-month period from January 2023 to June 2024, treating 749 inpatients and 78 outpatients during that time.

Despite the current decline in border wall falls, they have not stopped entirely. On Monday night, one person died, and another was seriously injured after falling from the 30-foot wall near Clearwater Way and Dairy Mart Road, west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, as Fox 5 News San Diego reported.

Border Patrol agents encountered the individuals around 11 p.m. One was unresponsive and was later pronounced dead by medical professionals, while the other was transported to a nearby hospital.

ABC 10 News San Diego, which has covered the rise in border wall-related injuries in recent years, also reported on the accident, highlighting that migrant advocacy groups operating near the border have observed fewer injuries and significantly reduced numbers of people attempting to cross the wall. Adriana Jasso of the American Friends Service Committee said of the current numbers:

“We’ve seen a dramatic change. It’s almost as if it’s a different place. We haven’t seen people waiting since February 15”

While the reduced number of falls may indicate greater deterrence, migrant aid workers emphasize that people seeking to enter the U.S. may resort to more hazardous routes, with Jasso noting that maritime crossings and remote land crossings have increased:

“It’s a good thing that people are not climbing over the border wall because the possibility of falling and getting injured or dying is great. However, it’s a bad thing when people don’t have a viable way of safely presenting themselves for an asylum claim”