On Sunday, a court in northern Mexico sentenced the chief of the national migration authority to prison for his participation in the December 29 fire that killed 40 migrants at a holding facility in Ciudad Juarez.
After a lengthy session, a court in Ciudad Juarez reportedly found probable cause to press charges of inappropriate use of public office against Francisco Garduno, the head of the National Migration Institute (INM), according to the Federal Judicial Council.
Garduno, a supporter of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is required to return to authorities every two weeks, although he is not currently detained. The investigation should be completed in four months at the most.
When reporters pressed him for more information after the announcement, Garduno said he would closely monitor any attempts to make amends.
Investigators believe one of the male migrants set fire to bedding in protest, killing 40 male migrants, most of whom were from Central America.
Following the fire, security footage from the detention center was posted online, showing men kicking on a locked door as uniformed staff passed them by.
