Mexican migration chief accused of unlawful practice after deadly fire

FILE PHOTO: Mexican authorities and firefighters remove injured migrants, mostly Venezuelans, from inside the National Migration Institute (INM) building during a fire, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican prosecutors on Tuesday formally accused Mexico's top migration official with unlawful practice in public office, a criminal offense, over a fire at a government detention center that killed 40 migrants, according to Mexican media.

Francisco Garduno, head of the National Migration Institute (INM), is the highest-ranking official to be formally accused in the case, which also led to the arrests of several other INM officials on homicide charges.