By: The opinion Posted Mar 28, 2023, 20:58 pm EDT
The immigration authorities of the government of Mexico raised to 40 the number of migrants killed by a fire at a train station National Institute of Migration (INM) in Ciudad Juarez, in Chihuahua, on the border with the United States, bringing the total number of injured to 28, after the death of one of the 29 immigrants initially reported as injured, the INM reported in a statement.
“Until 2:00 p.m. local time, there is a record of 40 deceased foreign migrants and 28 injured; In addition, assistance is provided to 15 foreign women of legal age who were evicted from the Provisional Stay when the fire started in the accommodation area of the immigration headquarters,” said the National Institute of Migration (INM) of Mexico.
The note noted that the INM collaborates with the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) and with the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) with “testimonies and evidence to clarify the truth of what happened” on Monday night in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.
This morning, the Attorney General of the Republic indicated in a statement that the identified migrants “are of the following nationalities: 1 Colombian, 1 Ecuadorian, 12 Salvadorans, 28 Guatemalans, 13 Hondurans and 12 Venezuelans”, although without specifying the deaths and injuries.
The Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, explained in his morning press conference that the incident occurred at 9:30 p.m. local time (04:30 GMT) in Ciudad Juárez, on the border with the US city of El Paso, Texas, where there was first a Initial balance of 37 deaths, most of them from Central America and Venezuela.
López Obrador blamed a migrant protest for the fire. “This had to do with a protest that they started, from, we suppose, that they found out that they were going to be deported, mobilized, and as a protest, they put mats at the door of the shelter and set them on fire,” he declared.
The president “informed that the incident occurred because of a protest and that the director of the INM (Francisco Garduño) and the FGR (Attorney General of the Republic) are already investigating to determine the responsibilities,” according to Ramírez Cuevas.
Before the incident, INM agents had carried out an operation to remove migrants begging from the streets.
A video posted by Reforma shows how the fire started that has resulted in one of the worst tragedies suffered by immigrants in Mexico.
The presence of migrants in the area has intensified this year since the United States announced new measures, including the immediate deportation of migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba who arrive by land under Title 42.
The Mexican government has also faced criticism from human rights organizations for accepting US policies and deploying more than 20,000 members of the Armed Forces at the borders for immigration tasks.
According to Mexican civil organizations, 2022 was the most tragic year for migrants in Mexico, as some 900 died trying to cross without documents from the country to the United States.
The region is experiencing a record migratory flow, with 2.76 million undocumented immigrants detained at the United States border with Mexico in fiscal year 2022.
Keep reading:
• Videos show the tragedy of the death of 40 migrants in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua
• Other tragedies that have cost the lives of migrants as they pass through Mexico
• The UN calls for an exhaustive investigation into the death of migrants in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico