A survivor recalls horrors of Mexico's migrant center fire that almost killed him

Hundreds of migrants go to a Mexican migration office seeking information about victims of a fire inside a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on March 28. (David Peinado/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

MEXICO CITY — Just a few feet away from the U.S. border, inside the crammed cell of a makeshift jail, something terrible was building. A 28-year-old man in the filthy, mass cell watched with growing dread as more and more people were led into the room where they were being held in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

All were migrants from other countries, some caught crossing the border into the United States, others picked up in sweeps by Mexican officials as part of ongoing U.S.-Mexico collaboration.