Tragic Fires in Mexican Migrant Detention Centers Result in Multiple Deaths and Injuries

A supervisor at a migrant center in Juarez, Mexico, allegedly ordered guards not to open locked cell doors “under any circumstance” as flames and smoke spread during a fire that killed 39 last week. Several agents and guards sought legal counsel for fear they would be blamed. The blaze started when at least one migrant being held at an INM detention center ignited stacked mattresses in protest after learning he would be deported from Mexico. The migrant, who survived the fire with only minor injuries, is among six people who were ordered arrested last week. The Juarez lawyer called on federal prosecutors to review phone records of INM officials the night of the fire.