Calay News
A group of around 2,000 migrants of different nationalities left the Mexican state of Chiapas for Mexico City to protest the fire that left 40 dead in Ciudad Juarez on the night of March 27. Activist Irineo Mújica, leader of the caravan, said they are leaving to denounce the “crime of the state” and to remember the 40 migrants who died and “did nothing.” The caravan, called “Viacrucis Migrante,” is mainly made up of migrants from Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, and Haiti.
Mexican authorities reported that the fire originated when a migrant set fire to a mattress in the cell where he was staying with 67 other men in the midst of a protest against possible deportation. Despite security camera footage showing that immigration and security personnel did not evacuate the migrants, authorities stated that there was no negligence on their part. A total of 39 migrants died at the scene, and one more died in a hospital.
In addition to demanding justice for the victims of the fire, the caravan also demands the disappearance of the National Migration Institute (INM) to “cut corruption.” The migrants carry crosses, banners, and long flags with written slogans demanding free transit through the country.
A Venezuelan migrant, who preferred not to give her name, stated that she and her family have been in Tapachula for three weeks waiting for documents to move on to the United States and that they have suffered extortion and humiliation in Mexico. While Mújica wants to reach Mexico City, several migrants expressed their desire to reach the US border. On Saturday, authorities granted humanitarian visas to Haitian and African migrants, which will allow them to transit safely through the country.
