So far it has been confirmed that 19 of the 40 fatalities in a fire at an immigration station in Ciudad Juárez are Guatemalans, while another nine remain hospitalized in Mexico, but many of them have not yet been identified.
Relatives of the victims have traveled there to meet with them and observe the health situation they face after a tragedy that generates reactions of condemnation in the population.
“It seems very inhuman to me, from the outset, it is known that emigrating is not a crime, everyone is looking for opportunities, to excel, to give their family a better life and the fact that the people in charge of the place were there and that they turned their backs on them, it hurts,” Priscila López said in the Guatemalan capital.
For the young Kelly Orantes, “the first thing she feels is impotence of not being able to do anything, but also thinking that it is part of the risks that one runs when migrating.”
Migration analyst Fernando Castro believes that the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to identify the bodies has been very slow.
“It is a process that has been delayed. With good reason, the relatives have expressed the little information that they obtained so much from the authorities, ”she said.
He added that “what is needed is guidance from the authorities linked to the migration issue, because it is easier to promote migration and receive remittances than to advise on the serious dangers that irregular migration entails, it is irresponsible on the part of the authorities”.
From the Foreign Ministry in Guatemala, the authorities affirmed that to confirm the identity of the deceased, technicians from the National Registry of Persons, RENAP, traveled to Mexico to do the recognition through fingerprints, which has delayed the process.
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