'We are following their path'. Migrants in Mexico wary after detention centre fire kills at least 40
Migrants and activists demanded justice on Tuesday for the at least 40 migrants killed in a blaze in a migrant detention centre in the Mexican northern border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Enraged migrants and pro-migration activists gathered outside the migration station in Ciudad Juarez where migrants from Central and South America died after a fire broke out late on Monday apparently caused by a protest over deportations, officials said Tuesday.
“They had been there inside for a month. They cried out of hunger because they (officials) didn’t give them food. It’s not fair,” said a migrant from Venezuela, Daniela Marquez, who attended the protest.
At least 28 of the fatal victims were from Guatemala, the Central American country’s Foreign Minister, Mario Bucaro, said on Tuesday. Another 13 were Hondurans, according to the country's deputy foreign minister.
In addition to the 40 who died, 28 others were hospitalized after being injured in the blaze, Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) said. All were adult men, officials said.
Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said authorities believed the blaze in the city opposite El Paso, Texas, broke out at 9:30 p.m. local time as some migrants set fire to mattresses in protest after discovering they would be deported. He did not provide more details about how so many had died in the incident.
The fire, one of the deadliest to hit the country in years, occurred as the United States and Mexico are battling to cope with record levels of border crossing.
Migrants near Mexico’s southern border expressed concerns about their fate on Tuesday after at least 40 people died after a fire broke out at a detention centre near the US state of Texas.
These migrants are in the southern border city of Tapachula, many from Central America and are eyeing travel to Mexico's northern border region with the United States.
“I feel sad because we are following their path, travelling up there (to the Mexico-US border area), and it’s a shame and sad what happened. (We) hope it gets solved, though their lives can’t be recovered because they are no longer with us.", said Guatemalan migrant Vianey.
Recent weeks have seen a buildup of migrants in Mexican border cities as authorities attempt to process asylum requests using a new US government app known as CBP One.
Many migrants feel the process is taking too long and earlier this month clashes occurred between US security and hundreds of mostly Venezuelan migrants at the border after frustration welled up about securing asylum appointments.
Reuters
