Current:Home > StocksMexico's immigration agency chief to be charged in fire that killed 40 migrants in detention center-LoTradeCoin
Mexico's immigration agency chief to be charged in fire that killed 40 migrants in detention center
View Date:2024-12-23 23:22:36
Mexico's top immigration official will face criminal charges in a fire that killed 40 migrants in Ciudad Juarez last month, with federal prosecutors saying he was remiss in not preventing the disaster despite earlier indications of problems at his agency's detention centers.
The decision to file charges against Francisco Garduño, the head of Mexico's National Immigration Institute, was announced late Tuesday by the federal Attorney General's Office.
It followed repeated calls from within Mexico, and from some Central American nations, not to stop the case at the five low-level officials, guards and a Venezuelan migrant already facing homicide charges.
Anger initially focused on two guards who were seen fleeing the March 27 fire without unlocking the cell door to allow the migrants to escape. But President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said earlier Tuesday that they didn't have the keys.
The Attorney General's Office said several other officers of Garduño's agency will also face charges for failing to carry out their duties, but prosecutors didn't specify which charges or identify the officials.
Prosecutors said the case showed a "pattern of irresponsibility."
Prosecutors said that after a fire at another detention center in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco killed one person and injured 14 in 2020, the immigration agency knew there were problems that needed to be corrected, but alleged they failed to act.
There have long been complaints about corruption and bad conditions at Mexico's migrant detention facilities, but they've never been seriously addressed.
López Obrador's comments about the guards in last month's fire in the border city of Ciudad Juarez came on the same day that the bodies of 17 Guatemala migrants and six Hondurans killed in the blaze were flown back to their home countries.
It was unclear what effect López Obrador's comments might have on the trial of the guards, who were detained previously over the fire.
"The door was closed, because the person who had the keys wasn't there," López Obrador said.
A video from a security camera inside the facility shows guards walking away when the fire started in late March inside the cell holding migrants.
The guards are seen hurrying away as smoke fills the facility and they didn't appear to make any effort to release the migrants.
Three Mexican immigration officials, a guard and a Venezuelan migrant are being held for investigation in connection with the fire. They face homicide charges.
The migrant allegedly set fire to foam mattresses at the detention center to protest what he apparently thought were plans to move or deport the migrants.
In Guatemala City, relatives of the victims gathered at an air force base with flowers and photos of the deceased to mark their return.
"My son, my love," a female voice could be heard calling out, amid sobs from those present as the coffins were unloaded and placed in a line, and relatives were allowed to approach them.
Mexican military planes carried the bodies six migrants to Honduras and 17 to Guatemala. Authorities say 19 of the 40 dead were from Guatemala but two bodies were still in the process of having their identities confirmed.
An additional 11 Guatemalans were injured in the fire.
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro accompanied the bodies, which were to be taken overland to their hometowns in nine different provinces.
Some bodies of Salvadoran migrants were returned to El Salvador last week.
So far, 31 bodies have been sent back to their home countries.
- In:
- Mexico
- Andrés Manuel López Obrador
veryGood! (861)
Related
- 'Survivor' 47, Episode 9: Jeff Probst gave players another shocking twist. Who went home?
- Revisiting 10 classic muscle car deals from the Mecum Glendale auction
- Venice Biennale titled ‘Foreigners Everywhere’ platforms LGBTQ+, outsider and Indigenous artists
- Legendary US Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson set to launch track and field league
- Mike Tyson concedes the role of villain to young foe in 58-year-old’s fight with Jake Paul
- The Most Expensive Celebrities on Cameo – and They’re Worth the Splurge
- Trump to meet with senior Japanese official after court session Tuesday in hush money trial
- Here's how to load a dishwasher properly
- Jennifer Garner Details Navigating Grief 7 Months After Death of Her Dad William Garner
- The Biden Administration Makes Two Big Moves To Conserve Public Lands, Sparking Backlash From Industry
Ranking
- Minnesota man is free after 16 years in prison for murder that prosecutors say he didn’t commit
- Former MIT researcher who killed Yale graduate student sentenced to 35 years in prison
- Study shows people check their phones 144 times a day. Here's how to detach from your device.
- David Beckham Files Lawsuit Against Mark Wahlberg-Backed Fitness Company
- 'Red One' review: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans embark on a joyless search for Santa
- Mother's Day Gift Guide: No-Fail Gifts That Will Make Mom Smile
- Ex-Washington police officer is on the run after killing ex-wife and girlfriend, officials say
- Ex-gang leader’s account of Tupac Shakur killing is fiction, defense lawyer in Vegas says
Recommendation
-
Unexpected pairing: New documentary tells a heartwarming story between Vietnam enemies
-
Who do Luke Bryan, Ryan Seacrest think should replace Katy Perry on 'American Idol'?
-
Officials identify Idaho man who was killed by police after fatal shooting of deputy
-
Lakers, 76ers believe NBA officiating left them in 0-2 holes. But that's not how it works
-
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul VIP fight package costs a whopping $2M. Here's who bought it.
-
'Family Guy' actor Patrick Warburton says his parents 'hate the show'
-
Kim Kardashian Reveals Her Polarizing Nipple Bra Was Molded After Her Own Breasts
-
Oklahoma police say 10-year-old boy awoke to find his parents and 3 brothers shot to death