Dozens Died After Fire Broke Out At Immigration Detention Facility At US Border

A fire broke out in an immigration detention center in northern Mexico close to the US border and dozens of people were killed and injured. The fire sparked late on Monday at a building in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which is adjacent to El Paso, Texas.

One of the main entry points for migrants into the United States is Ciudad Juarez. Its shelters are crowded with migrants looking for openings to cross or who have applied for asylum in the US.  They are generally waiting for the outcome of the procedure.

39 people died in the fire

In the fire, at least 39 individuals perished. According to a statement from Mexico’s National Immigration Institute, 29 injured people were brought to hospitals. It stated that 68 adult men from Central and South America were housed in the facility.

Images from the scene showed rows of bodies wrapped in shimmering silver sheets inside a smoke-filled facility. The area was surrounded by ambulances, firefighters, and morgue trucks.

In accordance with the media reports, Mexico’s Attorney General’s office launched an inquiry and has investigators at the scene.

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Heart-wrenching story

A Venezuelan woman, Vinagly was standing outside the immigration center looking for the smallest information about her 27-year-old husband. He was actually detained in the center.

Vinagly told the media, “He(her husband) was taken away in an ambulance. They (immigration officials) don’t tell you anything. A family member can die and they don’t tell you he’s dead.”

Migrants risk their life to enter the US

The US President Joe Biden has been attempting to stop the record number of migrants who are traveling to the US. They were using often hazardous routes arranged by human smugglers.

Biden advocated new restrictions on asylum seekers so as to curb migration. In addition to this,  it was an effort to prevent a stampede of migrants heading for the southern border once COVID-19-related constraints are relaxed

According to the new regulations, individuals who arrive at the border and only enter the country illegally are no longer qualified for asylum. Instead, they must first request asylum in one of the nations they travel through to reach the US border or submit an online application through a US government app.

Worth mentioning, is the fact that about 200,000 people try to cross the border from Mexico to the United States each month.  In addition to this, a recent report by the International Organization for Migration said since 2014, about 7,661 migrants have died or disappeared on the route to the US, while 988 perished in accidents or while traveling in subhuman conditions.