Written by La Verdado Juarez
October 21, 2024
The composite image shows a photo of Salvador GG, former director of the Chihuahua office of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM), over a photo of the INM station in Ciudad Juárez on the night of the devastating fire in March 2023. Iru (Courtesy of La Verda) Carmona by Blanca / La Verdado Juarez
Ciudad Juárez – Salvador GG, the former head of the Chihuahua office of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) who was indicted in 2023 over the disastrous migrant detention center in Ciudad Juárez, told a judge last week that he was a scapegoat. He said he was used as a criminal and was imprisoned for the following crimes: A crime he didn’t commit.
“In this process, I have been used as a scapegoat. I have been instructed to work within the laws and regulations, and I have done so…I have been answering for a year and a half for a crime I did not commit.” said Salvador, who spoke Mexican and declined to give his full name. Court documents.
The former INM official broke his silence for the first time during a court hearing on October 18, when federal judge Juan José Chavez Montes ordered him to be imprisoned until April 2025. Mr. Salvador had asked to be released to await trial.
He was arrested in April 2023, one month after the March 27, 2023 fire that killed 40 migrant men detained there, on charges of unlawful exercise of office, murder, and assault.
The investigator said that after the fire, he was cooperating with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), especially its agents, until his arrest. He also referred to the internal regulations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, stating that it has no real authority over the immigration detention center where the incident occurred.
He said the ordinance establishes a directorate with various powers related to immigration, including providing accommodation, providing medical assistance, meeting food requirements, ensuring respect for human rights and ensuring adequate facilities. pointed out.
“If you look here, you can see that I have no authority in the Juarez branch. That’s a mistake and it’s a manipulation of responsibility,” he said. “I am not responsible. I have no authority within the branch.”
Regarding the maintenance of the detention center, the deputy said that the regulations specify the existence of a general administrative department in charge of firefighting systems, safety measures and other functions that did not work on the night of the fire.
Salvador GG also questioned the validity of an internal document created two days after the fire, but did not specify which document he was referring to.
He also said that the “Civil Protection Unit”, which was supposed to be created by the INM, was never integrated into the Juarez police station. However, documents in the investigation folder presented at other hearings show that the force was integrated into the Juarez station.
This unit is said to have been in charge of the Juan Carlos MC, but another official accused in the fire claims he is the scapegoat in the incident, but the documents are not signed. Ta. He was released from prison in August and is currently awaiting trial.
Salvador GG has repeatedly stated that he is not responsible for what happened at the detention center, even though the detention center was under his charge on the day of the incident.
“I’m an infidel, I’m a scapegoat. I’m blaming others. I urge the Civil Service Ministry and victims’ representatives to read the law and the internal regulations and decide who should be here. I request that.”
Judge Chávez Montes responded that this was not the right time procedurally to issue a ruling, but told Salvador: “You took steps and made a decision regarding the station. That’s what I’m doing.
The first hearing for Salvador took place on April 17, 2023 and was related to the criminal case.
The prosecutor in charge, Brenda Ocampo Ponce, argued that the case was complex and said court proceedings were facing delays due to the control of the prosecutor’s office. She asked the judge to keep Salvador in jail for at least another year while the case goes on trial.
Lawyers for the Executive Committee for Attention to Victims (CEAVE), which represents the families of those killed in the fire and some of the survivors of the fire, asked the judge, given Salvador’s serious circumstances, to imprison Salvador. He said he agrees with the prosecutor’s request to continue doing so. Incident. The lawyer also said Salvador is a flight risk, given that he has no “roots” in Juarez, has homes in Guanajuato, Veracruz and Mexico City, and has the connections and financial wherewithal to flee. .
Salvador’s lawyer told the judge that the other defendants in the case have been released and are awaiting their day in court, saying they are representing elderly people who are sick, have no plans to flee and have family members who rely on them. He added that there are also.
