Mexican Authorities Control Migrant Riot Over Deportation Fears

Approximately 40 Cuban migrants staged a riot at the Siglo XXI migratory station in Chiapas, Mexico, after being informed of their impending deportation. The migrants, who were detained and transferred from central Mexico, allegedly set fire to the interior of the facility, prompting a significant federal response.

Federal forces were called to the scene and implemented a preventive operation around the station's perimeter, while others entered the building to control the situation. The migrants were reportedly unable to prove their legal stay in Mexico. The incident is the first such riot reported during the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, amidst ongoing challenges with mass migration at Mexico's southern border, influenced by U.S. policies and asylum processes.

Luis Rey García, from the Center for Human Dignification, arrived outside the facility and noted that deportees from Venezuela, Cuba, and other nationalities are brought to this center, sometimes staying for up to 10 days. He appealed to the public to "open the doors of the migratory station" to understand what is happening inside what he described as a "migratory jail."

García Villagrán stated that migrants at the Siglo XXI station suffer from isolation and are compelled to hire lawyers. He estimates that 65,000 migrants are currently stranded at the southern border, awaiting decisions on their asylum claims. This incident follows a tragic fire at a Ciudad Juárez migratory station in March 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 40 migrants and led to legal proceedings against the former National Migration Institute commissioner, Francisco Garduño, and other officials.

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We ask the public to open the doors of the migratory station, whatever happened, we need to know as citizens of Tapachula what is happening inside this migratory jail.