By Dana Malcolm 

Staff writer 

#Mexico, March 31, 2023 – A Monday night fire resulted in the death of 39 men including Venezuelans and Guatemalans at a Mexican detention centre on the US-Mexico border. 

Local Mexican newspapers are now reporting that the men were picked up in a raid shortly before the fire broke out. It was set by inmates who lit a mattress in protest after learning they might be deported. Officials are now investigating the response time of the detention centre staff; concerns are they may not have acted quickly enough to rescue the detainees from the burning building.  

The National Institute of Migration (INM), revealed the death count from the March 27 incident early Tuesday morning. ‘At least 29 other migrants were injured and transferred to four local hospitals in “delicate–serious” condition. They did not specify the nationalities of the migrants, or the cause of the fire, only condemning the events that led up to it. 

Guatemalan officials have confirmed  that 28 of the dead were nationals of their country.  

Migrants often flock to border towns in Mexico, with the hope of crossing into the US and getting asylum. 

The US created a new immigration plan in January that would allow 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, to enter the country and be able to work legally for up to two years.  

The INM is promising that investigations are ongoing both from authorities and the Human Rights Commission.