Foreign Affairs

Migrants Riot At Mexican Immigration Station, Burn Documents: Reports

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Migrants staged a riot at an immigration station in Tapachula, Mexico early Wednesday morning, multiple Mexican media outlets reported.

The group of migrants, mostly from Cuba and Africa, staged the riot to prevent authorities from carrying out deportations, Mexican media outlets Noticias MVS, Milenio and Reforma reported.

The migrants reportedly ransacked the building and set some documents on fire before authorities were able to regain control.

Video from the riot’s aftermath shows authorities milling around outside the building, trying to corral the migrant population.

WATCH:

Se amotinan migrantes en estación del @INAMI_mx en Chiapas. pic.twitter.com/dYwmPAWL7c

— Noticias MVS (@NoticiasMVS) April 11, 2019

Tapachula sits near Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala, making it a pressure point in the ongoing immigration crisis.

Tapachula’s immigration station has been the site of ongoing protests from migrants and activists over alleged mistreatment and poor living conditions.

The day before the riot, dozens of African migrants reportedly blocked the gate leading in and out of the immigration center, in protest of poor living conditions and inattention from authorities.

Another migrant protest in Tapachula reportedly turned violent on April 2.

Video from that protest aired by Mexican media shows migrants physically confronting authorities. A Mexican immigration official is seen using a chair to defend himself against a migrant man, who is wielding a chair of his own against the official.

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