Mexico’s best immigration reliable will face felony fees in a fire that killed 40 migrants in Ciudad Juarez closing month, with federal prosecutors pronouncing he used to be remiss in no longer fighting the crisis in spite of previous indications of issues at his agency’s detention facilities.
The choice to report fees in opposition to Francisco Garduño, the top of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute, used to be introduced overdue Tuesday by way of the federal Attorney General’s Office.
It adopted repeated calls from inside of Mexico, and from some Central American countries, no longer to forestall the case on the 5 low-level officers, guards and a Venezuelan migrant already dealing with murder fees.
Anger first of all considering two guards who have been observed fleeing the March 27 fire with out unlocking the cellular door to permit the migrants to break out. But President Andrés Manuel López Obrador mentioned previous Tuesday that they did not have the keys.
Moises Castillo / AP
The Attorney General’s Office mentioned a number of different officials of Garduño’s agency may even face fees for failing to perform their tasks, however prosecutors did not specify which fees or determine the officers.
Prosecutors mentioned the case confirmed a “pattern of irresponsibility.”
Prosecutors mentioned that after a fire at any other detention center in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco killed one individual and injured 14 in 2020, the immigration agency knew there have been issues that wanted to be corrected, however alleged they failed to act.
There have lengthy been proceedings about corruption and dangerous stipulations at Mexico’s migrant detention amenities, however they have got by no means been severely addressed.
López Obrador’s feedback concerning the guards in closing month’s fire in the border town of Ciudad Juarez got here at the similar day that the our bodies of 17 Guatemala migrants and 6 Hondurans killed in the blaze have been flown again to their house international locations.
It used to be unclear what impact López Obrador’s feedback would possibly have at the trial of the guards, who have been detained in the past over the fire.
“The door was closed, because the person who had the keys wasn’t there,” López Obrador mentioned.
A video from a safety digicam throughout the facility presentations guards strolling away when the fire began in overdue March throughout the cellular retaining migrants.
Alex Pena / Anadolu Agency by way of Getty Images
The guards are observed hurrying away as smoke fills the power and they did not seem to make any effort to unlock the migrants.
Three Mexican immigration officers, a guard and a Venezuelan migrant are being held for investigation in reference to the fire. They face murder fees.
The migrant allegedly set fire to foam mattresses on the detention center to protest what he it sounds as if concept have been plans to transfer or deport the migrants.
In Guatemala City, relations of the sufferers collected at an air pressure base with flora and pictures of the deceased to mark their go back.
“My son, my love,” a feminine voice may be heard calling out, amid sobs from the ones provide because the coffins have been unloaded and positioned in a line, and relations have been allowed to way them.
Mexican army planes carried the our bodies six migrants to Honduras and 17 to Guatemala. Authorities say 19 of the 40 lifeless have been from Guatemala however two our bodies have been nonetheless in the method of getting their identities showed.
An further 11 Guatemalans have been injured in the fire.
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro accompanied the our bodies, which have been to be taken overland to their hometowns in 9 other provinces.
Some our bodies of Salvadoran migrants have been returned to El Salvador closing week.
So a ways, 31 our bodies were despatched again to their house international locations.