Last Thursday, three officials of the Migration’s national institute (INM) were detained in connection with the fire in which 40 people died in a detention center for migrants in Ciudad Juárez.
But this Friday, April 14, after the corresponding hearing, they were sentenced to informal pre-trial detention and they were accused of homicide, injuries and illegal exercise of public service.
The defendants are Eduardo Apodaca Magallanes, head of Material Resources; Juan Carlos Meza Cumplido, coordinator of the Beta Group for the Protection of Migrants; and Cecilia Rivera Tena, immigration agent.
Although the three requested the duplication of the constitutional term, it is expected that the next hearing, scheduled for April 18 at 3:15 in the afternoon, will define whether or not they will be linked to the process.
It should be noted that Rear Admiral Salvador González Guerrero, INM delegate in the entity and superior of the three detained officials, is a fugitive from justice. Recently, a district judge granted him a provisional stay against the arrest warrant against him.
The arrest and prosecution of officials is a first step to achieve justice and prevent future tragedies. However, the case has called into question the work of the INM and has sparked criticism of the Mexican government’s immigration policy.
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