Question

A combination of economic disparity, political instability, and shifting immigration policy in recent years has resulted in a humanitarian crisis along the border between the United States and Mexico. A striking number of undocumented migrants who attempt to cross illicitly from Mexico into the United States die during their journey. Scholars and nonprofit agencies estimate that approximately 2,200-2,649 deaths occurred between the years 2000 and 2015 along the Arizona border alone, and the estimated death count during the past 14 years along the entire U.S. border with Mexico is more than 6,000 individuals. Forensic anthropologists have played an instrumental role in examining the remains of individuals found along this border. Using information found in your classroom, online, or in books, answer the following questions: What specific analysis do forensic anthropologists conduct when they are looking at the human remains of border migrants

Answer 1

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

The specific analysis that forensic anthropologists conduct when they are looking at the human remains of border migrants is forensic anthropology.

This forensic anthropology is a branch of anthropology that studies humans remains to know more about who these humans were and what could have happened to them.

For Police investigations or border patrol investigations, forensic anthropology has been determinant in the identification of migrant people's bodies at the US-Mexican border.

For instance, there are specialized agencies that work in this field. That is the case of The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (PCOME), which is based in the city of Tucson, Arizona, which borders with the state of Sonora, México. This office has worked with non-governmental organizations in order to help identify the immigrant bodies and sent them back to their families in Central America.

Another important institution like PCOME is The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State (FACTS) that has similar activities and functions.