The fire at the migration center operated by Mexico’s National Migration Institute in Ciudad Juarez, according to local officials, began during a protest against impending deportations on Monday night.
A total of 68 adult men were staying at the facility, the Institute reported.
Reports said most of the victims are believed to be Venezuelans, Guatemalans and other Central American citizens.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said in a televised news conference that according to local sources, the migrants had burned their own mattresses, assuming they would be deported – unaware of the aftermath. tragic outcome of their protest.
The city, which sits right on the border across from El Paso, Texas, has seen an influx of migrants hoping to reach the United States before the expected end of so-called era restrictions. COVID under Title 42, which allows for the expulsion of migrants in the event of an emergency Medical facility.
A sign on the border wall with the United States in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
UN Secretary-General ‘deeply saddened’
Speaking to reporters at a regular midday press conference in New York, United Nations Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said UN Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply saddened” by the deaths and wished those who lost their lives. Wounds recover quickly.
The spokesperson added that the Secretary-General is calling for “a thorough investigation into this tragic event, and of course we all reiterates its commitment to cooperate with the governments of other countries where mixed movements of people occur, to establish safer, more regulated and more organized migration routes.”
Exploitation by criminal gangs
Asked for further comment on how the UN could intervene to make the Mexico-US border safer for desperate migrants, Mr. Dujarric said member states needed to stick to their commitments. which they have launched, as signatories to the UN-led Agreement. Global Compact on Migration.
“Generally speaking, what we have now are criminal gangs, basically managing global migration, with terrible consequences that we see every day.”
