Categories: BreakingGlobal

39 Dead in Fire at Mexico Migrant Centre Near US Border

A fire in a dormitory at a Mexican immigration detention center near the U.S. border left more than three dozen migrants dead, a government agency said Tuesday, in one of the deadliest incidents ever at an immigration lockup in the country.

Hours after the fire broke out late Monday, rows of bodies were laid out under shimmery silver sheets outside the facility in Ciudad Juarez, which is across from El Paso, Texas, and a major crossing point for migrants. Ambulances, firefighters and vans from the morgue swarmed the scene.

Thirty-nine people died and 29 were injured and are in “delicate-serious” condition, according to the National Immigration Institute. There were 68 men from Central and South America held in the facility at the time of the fire, the agency said.

It was the deadliest incident inside a Mexican immigration facility in recent memory. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and the governmental National Human Rights Commission had been called in to help the migrants.

Tensions between authorities and migrants had apparently been running high in recent weeks in Ciudad Juarez, where shelters are full of people waiting for opportunities to cross into the U.S. or who have requested asylum there and are waiting out the process.

More than 30 migrant shelters and other advocacy organizations published an open letter March 9 that complained of a criminalization of migrants and asylum seekers in the city. It accused authorities of abuse and using excessive force in rounding up migrants, complaining that municipal police were questioning people in the street about their immigration status without cause.

The high level of frustration in Ciudad Juarez was evident earlier this month when hundreds of mostly Venezuelan migrants acting on false rumors that the United States would allow them to enter the country tried to force their way across one of the international bridges to El Paso. U.S. authorities blocked their attempts.

The national immigration agency said Tuesday that it “energetically rejects the actions that led to this tragedy” without any further explanation of what those actions might have been.

In recent years, as Mexico has stepped up efforts to stem the flow migration to the U.S. border under pressure from the American government, the agency has struggled with overcrowding in its facilities. And the country’s immigration lockups have seen protests and riots from time to time.

Mostly Venezuelan migrants rioted inside an immigration center in Tijuana in October that had to be controlled by police and National Guard troops. In November, dozens of migrants rioted in Mexico’s largest detention center in the southern city of Tapachula near the border with Guatemala. No one died in either incident.

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

Prince William Arrives In South Africa For Earthshot Prize And Wildlife Summit

Prince William visits South Africa for Earthshot Prize, aiming to spotlight climate innovation and support…

30 mins ago

Abuja Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Dana Air MD Hathiramani Ranesh over Absence at Fraud Trial

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of Dana Air MD Hathiramani…

43 mins ago

Equatorial Guinea Anti-Graft Chief Embroiled in Major Sex Scandal, Over 400 Tapes Found Involving Top Officials’ Families

A High-ranking Equatorial Guinean official is facing a major sex scandal with 400 explicit sex…

48 mins ago

Tinubu Orders Immediate Release Of All Minors Arrested In Connection To #EndBadGovernance Protest

Tinubu Orders Immediate Release Of All Minors Arrested In Connection To #EndBadGovernance Protest President Tinubu…

54 mins ago

Court of Appeal Acquits Ex-CJN Onnoghen Of Non-Declaration Of Assets Charges, Orders Unfreezing of Bank Accounts

The Court of Appeal has discharged former CJN Walter Onnoghen, overturning his 2019 asset declaration…

5 hours ago