A woman died after falling from a U.S.-Mexico border fence in San Diego, officials said.
The woman was found dead Friday around 2:30 p.m. local time near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, San Diego Police told local outlets.
She plummeted to her death when attempting to climb a 30-foot fence.
Fatal falls along the San Diego-Tijuana border have soared 162% over the past three years, in part due to the 30-foot border fence that was constructed during the Trump administration, the Mexican Consulate in San Diego has said.
“People more and more are facing traumatic life-altering injuries when they fall, and they injure themselves, or death as the case of this woman,” Pedro Rios, an immigration volunteer organizer, told KSWB-TV.
San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel stressed last year to NBC 7 that a higher border fence is necessary because it not only deters migrants, but also helps US border agents prepare for what’s on the other side.
“It’s a high fence so you don’t want to cross it, but it’s also tall enough that our agents can see through and see what’s coming at them,” she told the outlet at the time.
Hundreds of migrants gathered at the San Diego border area this week to enter the United States, making it the largest group to arrive at the wall since the expiration of Title 42, NBC 7 reported.