Juarez City.- The Attorney General of the Republic announced through a press release that it has criminally proceeded against the directors of the INM, Francisco “N” and Antonio “N”, who engaged in alleged criminal conduct, by failing to comply with their obligations to monitor , protect and provide security to the people and facilities in their charge, promoting crimes committed against deceased and injured migrants in this city (article 214, section VI, Federal Penal Code).
Likewise, criminal proceedings have been taken against the public servants Salvador “N”, Juan “N”, Cecilia “N” and Eduardo “N”, who are directly linked to the conduct that led to the homicides and injuries suffered by the victims of these crimes.
“The crimes that were committed against 65 migrants, 40 for homicide and 25 for injuries, in the Provisional Immigration Center of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, on the night of March 27, were immediately investigated by the FGR, obtaining arrest warrants. and links to proceedings against 5 people; 3 of which are public servants of the National Institute of Migration (INM); one that is staff of the private security company that operated there; and a person who started the fire; all of them are already in prison”, mentions the press release.
Regarding the private security company and the INM itself, both parties signed direct award contracts, omitting their public bidding obligations and generating costs double what is paid in the public sector for those same services.
They also failed to comply with their mandatory training, control and supervision obligations; and, even more, it has been shown that the company refrained from registering the vast majority of its dependents with the IMSS, which it tried to do days after the events indicated.
All this series of illegal and negligent behaviors were evidently fundamental elements that led to the commission of the crimes in question; Therefore, the investigation will continue on these aspects, until the link to the process of those who are responsible for such facts is achieved.
The press release cites that the INM is a decentralized administrative body, whose purpose is the execution, control and supervision of all migration policies at the national level.
And, because of this, the FGR has investigated two parallel lines of information; the first, within said decentralized body; and the second, in the area of the private security company indicated.
In the background investigation, it was found that, on March 31, 2020, a similar case occurred in another INM immigration center in Tenosique, Tabasco, resulting in one person dead and 14 injured. Which generated a recommendation from the CNDH, which indicates a pattern of conduct in which the security measures that were essential and mandatory in these cases have been omitted by those responsible.
The opinions of the Superior Audit Office of the Federation in recent years once again point out, with complete clarity, the faults and omissions that continue to be committed in the INM; and they indicate a pattern of irresponsibility and omissions that has been repeated and that has been the cause of these unfortunate events already mentioned.
