Topline
A fire at a government-run migration center in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, near the U.S. border killed 39 people and injured more than 20 people Monday night, after migrants fearing deportation set their mattresses on fire, according to Mexico’s president.
Image taken from a video showing ambulances and rescue teams staffers outside an immigration center … [+]
Key Facts
The fire started just before 10 p.m. Monday night at the National Migration Institute in Ciudad Juárez just across the border from El Paso, Texas, the New York Times reported.
Of the 68 men in the facility, 29 were injured in “delicate-serious conditions” and transported to four local hospitals, the institute told the Texas Tribune.
The fire started after some migrants set their mattresses ablaze in protest of deportation, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told reporters at a press conference Tuesday, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Officials have begun their investigation, Andrea Chávez, federal deputy of Ciudad Juárez said in a statement on Facebook.
Key Background
Migrants, mainly from Central and South America, continue to arrive at the border town of Ciudad Juárez. Many migrants are fleeing violence and corruption in their home countries and hope to cross into the U.S. and seek asylum. Since the start of the pandemic, a federal emergency health order, known as Title 42, has allowed U.S. Border Patrol agents to turn away many people hoping to enter the U.S. because of public health concerns. In December, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the health measure could remain in place for the time being, but the measure is set to stop on May 11, when the Biden Administration’s Covid-19 national and public health order ends.
Further Reading
Fire At Migrant Center In Mexico Near El Paso Kills At Least 39 (Texas Tribune)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/03/28/at-least-39-dead-in-fire-at-mexico-migration-center-near-us-border/