A deadly Mexico immigration center fire shows just a sliver of the abuse migrants see
By Vanessa Romo
Published March 30, 2023 at 1:46 PM EDT
A man holds a candle during a vigil on Tuesday for the victims of a fire at an immigration detention center that killed dozens, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Video footage from inside the facility appears to show officials walking away from men trapped inside a cell as flames roared around them.
A surveillance video of the fire that killed at least 40 people at an immigration processing center in Ciudad Juárez on Monday night appears to show detainees trapped in a locked cell as uniformed immigration agents are seen walking away.
Over the 32-second clip, officials appear to ignore the men behind bars, as well as the flames that are quickly engulfing them. No agents attempts to free the men, some of whom can be seen kicking and yanking on a cell door before the screen is completely obscured by dense smoke.
Still, the footage is brief, and though it's unclear what happened before or after the clip, it is haunting. Mexican authorities announced on Wednesday that eight security guards and officials are being investigated for possible misconduct.
In many respects the incident encapsulates what migrant advocates say are the inhumane conditions created in the border city due to decades of failed immigration policies by the U.S. and Mexico. Those conditions have only been exacerbated by Title 42, a Trump-era policy that invokes a public health rule to push asylum seekers out of the U.S. and into Mexico, regardless of whether they might qualify for asylum.
More:
https://www.wmfe.org/2023-03-30/a-deadly-mexico-immigration-center-fire-shows-just-a-sliver-of-the-abuse-migrants-see
