PALMVIEW – More people are jeopardizing their lives as they attempt to cross the border illegally.

KRGV’s Valerie Gonzalez took a look at how deaths and rescues that occur along the border are tracked.

Webb County Chief Medical Examiner Corinne Stern says 97 people died along the Southern border – she estimates this to be about a 20 percent increase from last year.  

A shift in smuggling trends affects how resources are allocated in the field.

“That leaves some of our areas that have seen slight decrease in numbers with less agents,” says Sgt. Arnold Sepulveda of the Palmview Police Department.

The department of 25 is stretched across the city.

Watch the video above for the full story.