A night transfer, an avoidable death and the same old story
The National Human Rights Commission has just issued another recommendation. This time, it points directly to the National Immigration Institute. The reason: the unjustified detention and the subsequent accident that cost the lives of two migrants.
Eleven people, Colombians, Guatemalans and Ecuadorians, were detained at the Mexicali airport in September 2023. What came next was a disaster foretold.
“The driver of the car lost control due to inattention and recklessness”
This is what the official document says. The result: two dead and nine injured. Among the victims, a minor. The principle of the best interests of children, again, a dead letter.
Protocols that are conspicuous by their absence
The CNDH does not mince words. He points out that the transfer was made at night, traveling more than 170 kilometers without any security support. Nothing that guaranteed the integrity of people.
And who was in charge of the INM at that time? Francisco Garduño Yáñez. The agency concludes that under its direction adequate protocols were not established. Basic legal procedures were omitted.
Sounds familiar, right? As if institutional memory was erased every six years.
Now the CNDH asks to repair the damage: medical, psychological and even thanatological care for the victims. It also requires clear guidelines for transfers, especially when minors are involved.
To prevent, they say, this from happening again. One almost wants to believe them.
