At least 39 people are dead and dozens more are injured after a fire broke out at a migration center in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, mere feet from the U.S. border.
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The fire erupted Monday night at a migrant detention center across the border from El Paso, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed Tuesday morning. Obrador said the fire was started by the migrants after they learned they would be deported, according to the Associated Press.
ALL PENNSYLVANIA CHOCOLATE FACTORY EXPLOSION VICTIMS FOUND
Multiple Mexican law enforcement agencies are assisting the scene. Members from the Juarez police, the National Guard, the Mexican Army and the Institute of Migration are still in place. pic.twitter.com/xbNdMLYFSs
— Heriberto Pérez Lara (@HeriPerezKVIA) March 28, 2023
Authorities previously said eight to 12 people were feared dead, per the El Paso Times, but that number began quickly rising.
In addition to Juarez police officers, the Mexican National Guard, the Mexican Army, and the Institute of Migration are assisting in the rescue and recovery operation, according to KVIA journalist Heriberto Lara.
Hours before the fire, Institute of Migration personnel removed hundreds of migrants from street corners, where they were cleaning windows, selling sweets, or asking for money, per Alfredo Corchado of Dallas Morning News. Many of them were believed to be Venezuelans.
This is the scene of the fire at the national migration institute in Juarez. pic.twitter.com/yPM3r6E30T
— Alfredo Corchado (@ajcorchado) March 28, 2023
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Corchado added that many migrants had been arriving in Ciudad Juarez in recent weeks with the expected lifting of Title 42. The migration center is just feet away from being within the United States. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is expected to visit the city on Friday.
Ciudad Juarez is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, located just south of El Paso, Texas. It has been known for being a dangerous and impoverished city, and with its close proximity to the U.S., as a hub for smuggling illegal immigrants and drugs into America.
