Last night, a fire at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juárez, on the US-Mexico border, killed at least 39 people and seriously injured 29 more. Ahead of the fire, migrants who were engaging in activities to provide for their basic needs, like begging or selling merchandise in the streets, had reportedly been targeted by Mexican authorities and detained. However, many migrants are trapped at the border city, unable to ask for asylum in the US due to poorly designed and implemented immigration systems. All 68 detainees in the facility were migrant men, mostly from Central America and Venezuela, according to early reports.

Migration is not a crime. Migrant Clinicians Network is concerned about the increasing criminalization of migrants by authorities in North and Central America. Countries, including the United States and Mexico, need to increase capacity at facilities and bolster immigration systems to support, not criminalize, migrants. All migrants deserve a timely, fair, accessible, and orderly migration process. Currently, the United States and Mexico do not have such processes. Under no circumstances is it appropriate for migrants to be rounded up and detained, as has been reported to have occurred, leading up to this fire.

Migration is a human right; to flee untenable or dangerous situations in search of a better, safer life is a right we must uphold. All migrants, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to their basic human rights. Discrimination against people due to their migration must immediately cease, to prevent future tragedies from occurring. All migrants deserve dignity and safety when pursuing a better life.