Riot breaks out at Tapachula migrant detention center after alleged arson attempt

On Saturday night, a riot erupted at Tapachula's Siglo XXI immigration detention center, located in Mexico's southern Chiapas state. The incident involved two Venezuelan nationals, who were arrested on charges of inciting the disturbance. The two men were later transferred to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the state capital, and are set for immediate deportation.

The Siglo XXI Migration Station, the largest immigration detention center in Latin America, was hosting around 40 migrants who had been processed after being detained elsewhere in Mexico. The migrants, many of them being deported from the U.S., were awaiting resolution of their cases. The riot began when the arrested men exhibited aggressive behavior, leading to a broader disturbance within the facility.

They demanded their immediate release and alleged they were victims of systematic abuse and incommunicado detention. After agents tried to restore order, the men allegedly attempted to set a mattress on fire. It took over two hours for authorities to quell the uprising, with no reports of detainee injuries. Human rights activist Luis García Villagrán from the Center for Human Dignity AC expressed doubts about the incident, pointing out that INM often holds migrants incommunicado for up to 10 days and denies them legal defense.

He criticized the lack of transparency at the immigration station. The disturbance at Siglo XXI reignited complaints about overcrowding, lack of due process, and alleged human rights violations. This is not the first such incident, as there have been at least five previous riots and protests at the facility since 2019, including a major riot in April 2019 where nearly 1,300 migrants escaped.

The fire incident in March 2023, which resulted in 40 deaths, is particularly distressing, as it brought to mind the devastating consequences of such unrest.