Immigration
VIDEO: New footage suggests migrants locked in Mexican shelter were abandoned by security officials
The video shows two migration workers who were in the temporary shelter during the fire who left the place as soon as the flames broke out
March 29, 2023 9:50am
Updated: March 29, 2023 9:50am
The security cameras of the National Institute of Migration (INM) in Ciudad Juárez recorded how Mexican government officials abandoned the migrants who were in the temporary shelter during the fire that occurred on Monday, March 27 at 9 p.m.
The fire caused the death of at least 39 migrants, who were housed in the immigration center, along with another 29 who were seriously injured.
The video published by the Milenio newspaper and the Mexican Channel 6 newscast shows two INM workers who were in the temporary shelter during the fire, but who left the place as soon as the flames broke out.
It's criminal! This is how they locked up the migrants in the Ciudad Juárez Station, Chihuahua. pic.twitter.com/MwwMGi1cTl
— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) March 28, 2023
In the recording, one of the men, dressed in a security guard uniform, is seen exiting from the left side of the camara shot, where some flames can be seen, while the migrants were inside.
The second man, dressed in black, exited from the right side to escape the building. Meanwhile, smoke filled the room and the migrants were trapped.
The immigration headquarters is located on the Stanton-Lerdo international bridge, which connects Ciudad Juárez with the Texan city of El Paso (USA), and housed detained migrants, mostly from Venezuela.
The origin of the fire is still unknown, but witnesses told local media that the fire started in the area where the men were and that some of them were trapped by the flames.
The INM has informed the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) so that it intervenes in the legal procedure and safeguards foreigners. In addition, the immigration authority promised to provide support to the families of the victims and to follow up on the evolution of the health status of those hospitalized.
The region is experiencing a record migratory flow, with 2.76 million undocumented immigrants detained at the Mexico-United States border in fiscal year 2022, and the migratory flow increased 8% in Mexican territory, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
