On Monday, March 27, 2023, a fire broke out at an INM Mexican Migrant Detention in Ciudad Juarez near the Mexico/U.S border where approximately 40 migrants from Central & South America have lost their lives and many injured. Mexican officials including Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claim that the fire was started by migrants themselves in protest to deportations. 

By Martha Arevalo

The Central American Resource of LA – CARECEN mourns the lives that were lost last night at a migrant detention center located in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. We send our deep condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragic fire.

It is saddening to see that authorities on both sides of the border continue to perpetuate the mistreatment of migrants. We reject any notion that migrants detained are to blame. This tragedy and the countless tragedies at the border and on the path to forced migration are direct consequences of inhumane and xenophobic policies. This is yet another event where lives are lost, and it exposes the inhumane realities of deportation, detention, and incarceration for people seeking protection. It is often dangerous and vulnerable for migrants seeking asylum to remain in Mexico while awaiting processing under policies such as Title 42 and Remain in Mexico. As we must remind ourselves every time, no migrant willingly leaves their home country and puts their lives in harm’s way without contemplating their dire situation. This is why advocacy groups and immigrant rights organizations work to end all migrant detention and inhumane migrant policies both here and at the border. 

We join partners and allies in calling on authorities both in the US and abroad to stand against human rights violations, to do what is in their respective power to restore safe access to asylum and strengthen immigration policies that prevent these tragedies from occurring again. All migrants deserve to be treated humanely and with dignity. We will continue to stand against violence and hate towards migrants from all nationalities and push against any administration seeking to enforce policies that continue to endanger the life of migrants.

Martha Arevalo is the executive director of the Central American Resource of LA.