Mexico to compensate families of migrants killed in Juárez detention center fire
When 40 men detained in Ciudad Juárez’s National Institute of Migration center died in the smoke and flames of the March 27 fire, most were thousands of miles away from their families.
The bodies, blackened by heat and soot, were laid out in rows in a dark parking lot largely devoid of mourners while loved ones in Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela slept, unaware of the tragedy that would change their lives.
Almost five months later, INM has promised those loved ones monetary compensation of 3.5 million pesos (about $204,000 U.S.) for each victim, according to an Aug.13 statement. The compensation amount was determined by the federal Executive Commission for Attention to Victims on July 10 and authorized by the Minister of Finance and Public Credit through a special budget item.
INM has not said how or when the payments will reach the family members of the deceased victims. All of the deceased have since been repatriated to their countries of origin, which included Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.
More: Mexico shuts some migrant detention centers after Juárez fire, announces new 'shelter'
Some of the men who died had been detained the same day during a round-up of street vendors in Juárez.
An additional 27 victims, all men, were injured in the fire. Some of these victims remain hospitalized in specialty treatment centers in Mexico City. The Mexican government has covered the costs of their treatment as well as travel and accommodations for their families to be nearby while they are recovering, according to INM’s statement. It is unclear if the injured will receive any further compensation.
The fire was allegedly started by two of the detained men as a protest but quickly got out of control, leading to severe loss of life when guards apparently could not locate keys to unlock the men’s cell. In the public scrutiny that followed the tragedy, INM temporarily closed 33 of its 54 facilities across the country while the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) investigated their conditions.
INM “partially accepted” the recommendations of the CNDH after it found INM responsible on July 2 for “grave violations against human rights, the dignified treatment of life and personal security, due to acts and omissions of INM personnel.”
In compliance with some of these recommendations, INM has installed emergency exits and additional smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in its facilities.
Eight former employees of INM, including its former head Francisco Garduño Yáñez, are awaiting trial and two Venezuelan men are accused of starting the fire.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Mexico to pay families of migrants killed in Juárez fire
