Mexico is investigating 4 suspects after fire that killed 39 migrants

Arrest warrants against three security forces and a migrant would be requested soon, human rights lawyer Sara Herrerías said Wednesday evening (local time). The migrant is said to have set fire to mattresses, causing the devastating fire. The officials, in turn, would not have offered any help.

Security camera footage shows that when the fire broke out at the National Migration Agency (INM) facility in the city of Ciudad Juárez, security forces ran away rather than let the migrants out of a locked room. The guards under investigation are two INM officials and an employee of a private security firm, Herrerías said.

Another 27 people were injured in the fire at the facility for detained migrants on the US border on Monday night. According to Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez, 16 of them are seriously injured. Eight guards have been identified who are believed to have failed to follow emergency response protocols. “Instead of saving lives, they couldn’t open a door,” said the security minister.

According to immigration authorities, the victims were migrants from Central and South America who had previously been detained by authorities on the streets of Ciudad Juárez and detained at the assembly point. They reportedly awaited deportation to their home country or were transferred to a collection point in southern Mexico, far from the US border. (sda/dpa)