Officials at Ciudad Juárez migrant detention center served with arrest warrants after tragic fire

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico - Officials in Mexico have issued six arrest warrants following the deadly fire that left more than three dozen migrants dead at a detention center near the Texas border.

Officials in Mexico have issued six arrest warrants following the deadly fire that left more than three dozen migrants dead at a detention center in Ciudad Juárez.
Officials in Mexico have issued six arrest warrants following the deadly fire that left more than three dozen migrants dead at a detention center in Ciudad Juárez.  © Guillermo Arias / AFP

Warrants have been issued for three National Immigration Institute officials, two private security guards, and a migrant who has been accused of starting the fire, Mexican federal prosecutor Sara Irene Herrerías said, according to The Hill.

On Wednesday, authorities in Mexico said eight people were being investigated over their possible involvement in the blaze. Five have already been arrested and charged with homicide and causing injury.

The warrants come after a detention center in Ciudad Juárez, right across the border from the Texan city of El Paso, caught fire, killing 39 people and injuring 29 others, 27 of whom are still in serious or critical condition. At the time of the tragedy, there were reportedly 68 men being held in the facility, primarily from Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, and El Salvador.

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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said migrants had set fire to their mattresses in protest, but that the blaze then got out of hand.

Video footage of the incident shows security officials leaving the detention center while making no apparent attempt to help the migrants inside.

Immigrants' rights advocates blame inhumane migration and border policies

An altar is seen outside the immigration detention center in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
An altar is seen outside the immigration detention center in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.  © Guillermo Arias / AFP

Immigrants' rights advocates have blamed the tragedy on inhumane migration and border policies from both US and Mexican authorities.

Before the fire, human rights groups had sounded the alarm over allegations of abuse and use of excessive force against migrants. There were also reports that police had taken to questioning people in the streets about their immigration status without cause.

The Biden administration has come under heightened criticism lately for pushing even more draconian border policies, including a rule that would effectively bar migrants from Central and South America from claiming asylum in the US.

Human rights organizations have pointed to the fire in Ciudad Juárez as all the more reason to pass greater protections for migrants forced to wait in Mexico, often under dangerous conditions.

Cover photo: Guillermo Arias / AFP

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