World

Mexico investigates top migration officials after deadly fire

2023.04.12 01:02


© Reuters. A view shows the immigration detention center where several migrants died after a fire broke out late on Monday, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings against top immigration officials as they investigate a fire that killed 40 migrants in a detention center last month, the Attorney General’s office said on Tuesday.

The people include the head of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM), Francisco Garduno, and the agency’s top representative in the northern state of Chihuahua where the fire occurred, Salvador Gonzalez, said two sources familiar with the matter.

INM did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Garduno could not be reached directly. Gonzalez said he would cooperate with the investigation and support the victims.

The Attorney General’s office said in a statement it had launched criminal proceedings against six public officials in connection with the fire, identifying them only by first name, as is customary in Mexico.

It did not specify whether the people had been charged or would face charges, and neither the office nor INM provided additional details.

The statement said Garduno and another high-ranking official, identified by the two sources as Antonio Molina, allegedly failed to “watch over, protect and ensure safety for the people and facilities in their charge,” and allegedly facilitated “crimes against migrants.”

Molina could also not be reached directly for comment.

The fire came after warnings from the federal auditor over problems inside INM, and concerns from the National Human Rights Commission over a migrant’s death at a different detention center in 2020.

“They indicate a pattern of irresponsibility,” the Attorney General’s office said.

The statement also alleged that Gonzalez and three other officials were linked to conduct that led to the deaths of the migrants.

Earlier Tuesday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the migrants had been unable to escape the fire because the person with the key to their locked cell was absent.

Five people were arrested in the case last month, including INM agents and a private security guard. Neither INM nor the security company commented on the arrests.

Source link

Related Articles

Back to top button
bitcoin
Bitcoin (BTC) $ 83,992.50 1.84%
ethereum
Ethereum (ETH) $ 1,894.11 0.07%
tether
Tether (USDT) $ 1.00 0.00%
xrp
XRP (XRP) $ 2.24 1.79%
bnb
BNB (BNB) $ 574.74 4.60%
solana
Solana (SOL) $ 125.41 1.18%
usd-coin
USDC (USDC) $ 1.00 0.00%
cardano
Cardano (ADA) $ 0.729921 0.06%
dogecoin
Dogecoin (DOGE) $ 0.170989 4.58%
tron
TRON (TRX) $ 0.222638 0.57%
staked-ether
Lido Staked Ether (STETH) $ 1,891.26 0.01%
pi-network
Pi Network (PI) $ 1.72 17.13%
lombard-staked-btc
Lombard Staked BTC (LBTC) $ 84,001.51 1.96%
wrapped-bitcoin
Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) $ 83,733.43 1.89%
leo-token
LEO Token (LEO) $ 9.73 1.61%
chainlink
Chainlink (LINK) $ 13.35 2.18%
hedera-hashgraph
Hedera (HBAR) $ 0.198491 1.60%
usds
USDS (USDS) $ 0.999938 0.04%
stellar
Stellar (XLM) $ 0.263636 2.40%
wrapped-steth
Wrapped stETH (WSTETH) $ 2,262.07 0.04%
avalanche-2
Avalanche (AVAX) $ 19.05 9.87%
sui
Sui (SUI) $ 2.29 2.61%
shiba-inu
Shiba Inu (SHIB) $ 0.000012 1.71%
bitcoin-cash
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) $ 347.59 3.61%
litecoin
Litecoin (LTC) $ 90.87 1.86%
the-open-network
Toncoin (TON) $ 2.72 3.38%
mantra-dao
MANTRA (OM) $ 6.48 2.93%
polkadot
Polkadot (DOT) $ 3.98 0.61%
ethena-usde
Ethena USDe (USDE) $ 0.999533 0.01%
weth
WETH (WETH) $ 1,893.40 0.34%
binance-bridged-usdt-bnb-smart-chain
Binance Bridged USDT (BNB Smart Chain) (BSC-USD) $ 1.00 0.10%
bitget-token
Bitget Token (BGB) $ 4.23 1.95%
hyperliquid
Hyperliquid (HYPE) $ 13.43 3.78%
whitebit
WhiteBIT Coin (WBT) $ 28.76 0.60%
monero
Monero (XMR) $ 210.00 0.89%
wrapped-eeth
Wrapped eETH (WEETH) $ 2,009.45 0.04%
uniswap
Uniswap (UNI) $ 5.89 1.61%
susds
sUSDS (SUSDS) $ 1.04 0.08%
dai
Dai (DAI) $ 0.99982 0.01%
aptos
Aptos (APT) $ 5.14 0.72%
near
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) $ 2.57 5.74%
pepe
Pepe (PEPE) $ 0.000007 13.71%
ondo-finance
Ondo (ONDO) $ 0.869837 1.79%
ethereum-classic
Ethereum Classic (ETC) $ 17.85 1.40%
internet-computer
Internet Computer (ICP) $ 5.48 1.97%
aave
Aave (AAVE) $ 172.80 2.33%
coinbase-wrapped-btc
Coinbase Wrapped BTC (CBBTC) $ 83,974.50 1.85%
mantle
Mantle (MNT) $ 0.749222 5.01%
gatechain-token
Gate (GT) $ 20.36 2.74%
okb
OKB (OKB) $ 41.59 1.53%