A devastating fire at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican city bordering the United States, has left at least 39 people dead and 29 injured, according to officials on Tuesday. The tragedy unfolded at the National Migration Institute (INM) facility where authorities had recently detained a group of migrants.
The cause of the fire and the nationalities of the victims have not yet been disclosed by the INM, which has launched a full investigation into the incident. "It is with deep sadness and grief that we learned of the fire that occurred inside the INM in Ciudad Juárez," tweeted Ciudad Juarez's federal deputy, Andrea Chavez.
"We will wait for the official information and, from this moment on, we send our condolences to the families of the migrants. FGR initiated the investigation," Chavez added.
A witness reported to Reuters that body bags were lined up near the scene after the fire was extinguished. Most of the migrants at the center were believed to be Venezuelan. Viangly Infante, a 31-year-old Venezuelan national, told the agency that she had been waiting at the center since the afternoon for her children's father when the fire broke out around 10 p.m. Her husband, 27-year-old Eduard Caraballo, survived by dousing himself with water inside the detention center. Infante reported seeing numerous casualties as a result of the blaze.
This tragic incident is one of the worst fires in Mexico in recent memory, occurring at a time when the country has experienced a record number of border crossings with the United States. Earlier this year, the Biden administration intensified efforts to curb the influx of migrants at the border.
In February, the US government implemented a new rule that largely prevents migrants who traveled through other countries en route to the US-Mexico border from applying for asylum. This policy shift marks a significant departure from previous regulations and is reminiscent of the Trump-era approach to immigration.
CNN has reached out to Mexico's migration authorities for a statement on the tragic fire.
As the investigation into the cause of the fire continues, the incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by migrants and the facilities that house them. The tragedy has brought renewed attention to the conditions at detention centers and the need for comprehensive immigration reform to better address the humanitarian aspects of migration.
