Criminal people-smugglers are generating around 35 billion USD in revenue from the migrant trade, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Lacy Swing, who heads the United Nations agency, estimated that around 1,700 migrants have died while in the care of people-smugglers this year. Around 5,000 died in 2016, and 3,700 in 2015, suggesting a worrying upward trend. Swing cautioned that we should be “careful” when considering these figures, however, “because those are the people we know who died, how many other bodies are submerged in the Mediterranean or buried in the sands of the Sahara?” He added: “That’s the tragedy and this is why we are so concerned to try to caution migrants about smugglers. The smugglers are really the big problem. It’s about $35 billion a year (that people smugglers make) and we know they’re making lots of money across the Mediterranean.” People smugglers make about USD 35 billion a year worldwide- @IOMchief https://t.co/GjNrsaa9Qs pic.twitter.com/B8Qe9JAPTH — IOM (@UNmigration) June 1, 2017 Swing claimed the migrant crisis was being exacerbated by “unprecedented anti-migrant sentiment,” although he did not appear to offer any explanation as to how this alleged sentiment would contribute to the issue. He said anti-migrant feeling