The Archdiocese of Mexico published this Palm Sunday a press release in which it called on the Government of Mexico, municipal, state and federal authorities, “to stop seeing migrants as criminals.” The Holy See made this statement after the death of 39 immigrants in Ciudad Juárez due to a fire inside a detention center.
The Catholic Church called for dignified and humane treatment for irregular immigrants who try to cross into the United States through the northern border of Mexico. “We call on the three orders of government (…) to join efforts to establish actions focused on the well-being of migrants,” says the statement from the Mexican Archdiocese.
In addition to that, the Church pointed out that although there are already arrest warrants to punish those involved in the Ciudad Juárez tragedy, the social debt towards migrants for this crime “does not stop there.” “The pain of leaving your country and your home in search of better opportunities is already too much to be treated as criminals during your journey,” the letter said.
According to the Mexican authorities, the victims of the fire were identified by the Mexican attorney general’s office as 28 Guatemalans, 13 Hondurans, 13 Venezuelans, 12 Salvadorans, 1 Ecuadorian, and 1 Colombian. The organization Amnesty International affirmed that this tragedy in Ciudad Juárez reflects a “truly inhumane” immigration system.
Last week, the Mexican senator, Emilio Álvarez Icaza Longoria, affirmed that this event would have been caused by the lack of attention, negligence and simulation of the authorities. “Rights are violated, families are separated (…) migrants are mistreated (…) That is a State crime. What has to happen for the policy to change?” said the legislator during a session of the Mexican Parliament.
Last Friday, the immigration authorities reported that this center will be permanently closed, after this fire put the policy on immigrants of the Government of Manuel López Obrador on trial.
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Mexico, Rosa Icela Rodríguez said that the people who were there will be transferred to the Leona Vicario integration center, also located in Ciudad Juárez, but this is supervised by the Ministry of Labor, and not by the National Institute of Migration (INM).
With information from EFE and CNN
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