A recent report has questioned the official narrative surrounding the deadly fire at a Mexican detention center for migrants, contending that the facility’s workers could have released the male detainees from their cell, but instead chose, or were instructed, not to do so.
In Ciudad Juárez, a fire occurred on March 27, 2023 caused by prisoners who were protesting the facility’s conditions. However, the fire quickly spread which left the inmates trapped in their cells until firefighters arrived. Tragically, 40 people lost their lives and 27 others were severely injured.
According to both the National Migration Institute and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, it has been stated that the cell at the facility could not be unlocked due to the staff not having the key at that time.
However, the latest inquiry conducted by Lighthouse Reports, in partnership with La Verdad and El Paso Matters, claims that the crucial item never exited the premises.
Utilizing closed-circuit television footage taken within the facility, as well as other pertinent records, detectives pieced together a three-dimensional replica of the detention center and the events that occurred during that timeframe.
The researchers state that the video footage enabled them to monitor the movement of the keys throughout the day. They disclose that the key to the men’s cell door was last observed one minute prior to the start of the fire, when a security guard passed it to a co-worker and it was placed in the co-worker’s pocket.
Although most of the footage is without sound, the investigators discovered two CCTV cameras by the main entrance that do have audio.
Based on the latest inquiry, a female in a uniform from the National Migration Institute was recorded stating, “We will not unlock [the cell] for them, I have already informed those individuals.”
It is possible to catch her chatting and messaging on her mobile device, but it is not evident who she was in contact with.
The researchers also discovered that a majority of fire extinguishers were either absent, misplaced, or faulty. Additionally, none of the smoke detectors were operational, and the men’s area was deemed to be overcrowded and lacking proper ventilation.
The National Migration Institute did not provide answers to the inquiries made by the investigators regarding the incident.
“The inquiry is gripping,” stated Tonatiuh Guillén, former leader of the National Migration Institute from 2018-2019. “It challenges the official narrative of what truly occurred in Ciudad Juárez.”
Nearly one year has gone by since the occurrence of the fire. The matter is still being looked into, and nine out of the 11 individuals accused in the situation are currently in custody awaiting trial.
The individuals involved in this incident consist of government officials, immigration officers, employees from a private security company hired at the detention center, and two migrants who have been accused of igniting the fire.
Despite being accused of criminal negligence for not fulfilling his duties, Francisco Garduño Yáñez, who was the commissioner of the National Migration Institute during the fire incident, continues to hold his position.
The catastrophic event has brought attention to the necessity of enhancing the state of detention centers, particularly since the recorded amount of detentions has drastically increased in recent times.
The number of detentions for migrants in an illegal status has increased by four times since before the pandemic, reaching nearly 800,000 in 2023.
In a recent report, the National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH) in Mexico compared the 49 facilities used for detaining migrants to prisons where individuals are subjected to violence, mistreatment, and unsanitary living conditions. These centers are reported to have insufficient food and overcrowded cells.
The report suggested implementing administrative procedures that do not require detention.
However, Guillén claims that there is a sense of pressure influenced by Mexico’s connection to the United States, to take a contrasting approach of tightening migration policies.
Guillén stated, “The militarization of the National Migration Institute and the involvement of the army and national guard in migration control are evident. The CNDH’s proposal is in direct conflict with Mexico’s image as a space of debate and discouragement.”
Source: theguardian.com
