Former Mexico immigration chief apologizes for deadly Ciudad Juárez detention center fire

The former head of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute apologized Friday to victims and families affected by a fire at a Ciudad Juárez detention center that killed 40 migrants. Francisco Garduño, who remained in the post until April, was ordered by a judge to issue the public apology as part of a temporary suspension of his prosecution for failing to protect those in custody.

Garduño said there were “human rights violations that never should have happened” due to omissions by personnel of the institute. He called for “those responsible” to be punished and for reparations to be made, while declining to acknowledge his own responsibility in the tragedy. Dozens of victims’ relatives attended the event, along with representatives of the immigration agency and the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Two Venezuelan migrants have been charged with homicide for starting the fire, which occurred on March 27, 2023, inside the Ciudad Juárez facility.

The blaze killed 40 people and left more than two dozen injured, most of them from Central America and Venezuela. Two Venezuelan migrants have been charged with homicide for starting the fire, according to court documents and officials familiar with the case. Two migrants allegedly started the fire in a protest over conditions inside the center, and security cameras showed smoke rapidly filling the cell block that held several dozen male detainees. Prosecutors have said no one with the keys to unlock the doors appeared to act as the fire burned.

In January, the judge overseeing Garduño’s case gave him 18 months to take steps that could lead to the case’s eventual closure. Several subordinates face charges, including homicide. The National Immigration Institute said it had implemented changes to improve safety and closed some facilities, but immigrant advocates say the changes do not guarantee that a tragedy like this won’t happen again.

Lawyers for victims and their families, while acknowledging the significance of a public appearance by Garduño, cautioned that the apology alone does not resolve the broader failures. Some relatives addressed Garduño directly during the event; one relative said the apology felt forced and urged that those responsible be held accountable, not pardoned. A survivor who was severely burned spoke of the need for accountability and relief for families.

Garduño’s appointment as head of the immigration agency came after a period of intense policy pressure in the United States over irregular migration. He had previously led Mexico’s prison system, and his elevation was made by then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, during a time when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on Mexican imports if migration controls did not tighten.

As the case progresses in court, officials say that some subordinates remain at large while others—along with a security guard—await trial. Immigration authorities say they have enacted safety reforms and closed several facilities; advocates say the reforms have not fully addressed the systemic issues that allowed the tragedy to occur.

The investigation and legal proceedings continue to unfold against Garduño and his former subordinates, with victims’ families seeking a full accounting and accountability for those responsible.