A Mexican border city, Tijuana, has become a crucial stopping point for many Ukrainians seeking refuge from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Currently, approximately 1,000 Ukrainians are in Tijuana, Mexico, awaiting the opportunity to enter the United States, according to Enrique Lucero, the city’s director of migrant affairs.
Life for Ukrainians in Tijuana
These photos illustrate the daily lives of Ukrainians in Tijuana, depicting city-run shelters where hundreds are accommodated, makeshift camps near the border, and the dedicated volunteers who have come to help.
Moreover, the situation reveals a significant trend: a rising number of Ukrainians are choosing this route to the United States. Lucero notes it is primarily due to the challenges faced in obtaining US visas. Traveling to Mexico is relatively straightforward for Europeans, including Ukrainians, as they can easily secure tourist visas.
US Immigration Policy and Ukrainian Refugees
Despite President Biden’s announcement regarding the acceptance of up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, the administration has yet to create a clear pathway for those fleeing the war. However, officials have indicated to CNN that a new program is being prepared for Ukrainians with sponsors in the United States.
For the time being, crossing the US-Mexico border remains the primary route for Ukrainians desperate to reach the US. Consequently, Tijuana has effectively transformed into a waiting room for those individuals.
As the number of Ukrainians in Tijuana increased, the city opened a sports complex as a temporary shelter. Here children play at the facility on April 10 while their families wait.Volunteers with signs welcome Ukrainians as they arrive at the Tijuana airport on April 8. From there, volunteers shuttle them to shelters or hotels near the border.Anna Kuts, 3, sleeps on a suitcase after arriving at the Tijuana airport with her family on April 8.Ukrainians file through the El Chaparral port of entry in Tijuana to cross into the US on April 8. Officials recently reopened this border crossing to process arriving Ukrainians, according to Enrique Lucero, Tijuana’s director of migrant affairs.Ukrainians assemble bunk beds on April 6 for the Benito Juarez Sports Complex in Tijuana, where about 700 people are being housed.Ukrainians who are seeking asylum board a bus at dawn on April 7 as they head to the El Chaparral port of entry.Volunteers have come to help at the government-run shelter in Tijuana. This group includes Ukrainians who live in Los Angeles and are serving food to asylum-seekers.Volunteers in San Ysidro, California, welcome Ukrainians who’ve crossed into the United States on April 7.Ukrainians seeking asylum walk at the El Chaparral port of entry on their way to enter the United States on April 6.Ukrainians who hope to seek asylum in the United States gather on April 6 in a government-run shelter at the Benito Juarez Sports Complex in Tijuana.Ukrainians waiting to cross into the United States charge their phones at a gymnasium in Tijuana on April 5.A volunteer and Ukrainians who fled to Mexico amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine play a card game while they wait at a makeshift camp near the San Ysidro Port of Entry.Ukrainians follow a volunteer to the San Ysidro Port of Entry as they prepare to cross into the United States.A group of Guatemalan migrants wait in front of a tent encampment housing Ukrainians on April 3. Advocates argue the US is applying a double standard: letting in Ukrainians while many other desperate migrants are forced to wait.Ukrainians wait to cross the San Ysidro Port of Entry bridge in Tijuana on March 23. The number of Ukrainians seeking refuge in the United States has significantly increased following the invasion of Ukraine.
