The UN Office in Mexico deeply regrets the tragic death of at least 39 people on the move in a fire in Ciudad Juárez

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico – The United Nations System in Mexico has joined the call made by the Secretary General, António Guterres, in deeply regretting the tragic death of at least 39 people on the move who, guarded by migration authorities, were inside the facilities of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM, in Spanish) in Ciudad Juárez. Additionally, the UN Office in Mexico highlights the Secretary General’s request for a thorough investigation to determine who is responsible for this incident.

The UN System expresses its sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured.

As reported by Mexico’s National Migration Institute, there were 68 people at the migration center when the fire started. The causes of the fire are currently under investigation. Male immigrants were among the deceased, some of whom were awaiting a resolution to their asylum claim in the United States.

The UN Office in Mexico highlights the international commitments in place, in regards to migration and asylum, which have been affirmed by Mexico. More specifically, Objective 13 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration calls for ensuring “that any detention in the context of international migration follows due process, is non-arbitrary, is based on law, necessity, proportionality and individual assessments, is carried out by authorized officials and is for the shortest possible period of time.” Similarly, both the Global Compact for Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees (2018) call for non-custodial alternatives to detention from a human rights-based approach.

The UN in Mexico is deeply committed to collaborating with the authorities to establish safe, regulated, and orderly migration routes, where prevention measures are put in place to reduce death risks, as well as prevent incidents like this tragic fire.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

• UN in Mexico, Mariana Castro, Associate Public Information Officer, [email protected], +52 55 1486 1175
• IOM Mexico, Alberto Cabezas, National Communications Officer, [email protected], +52 55 4525 8361
• IOM in Ciudad Juárez, Camilo Cruz, Communications Assistant, [email protected], +52 55 6870 7953
• UNHCR Mexico, Silvia Garduño, Associate Communications Officer, [email protected], +52 55 2848 7440