A Mexican border city thousands of miles from Ukraine has become a stopping point for many seeking refuge from the war.
About 1,000 Ukrainians are in Tijuana, Mexico, waiting for a chance to cross into the United States, according to Enrique Lucero, the city’s director of migrant affairs. These photos illustrate what life is like for Ukrainians in Tijuana: a city-run shelter where hundreds are staying, makeshift encampments near the border, and the volunteers who’ve come to help.
Moreover, the images unveil a broader situation: a growing number of Ukrainians are taking this route to the United States because it is the only viable path they have. Lucero explains that it’s relatively easy for Europeans, including Ukrainians, to obtain tourist visas and fly to Mexico; however, obtaining a visa to enter the United States is considerably more challenging.
Even though President Biden has announced that the US will accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, his administration has yet to establish a clear pathway for those fleeing the crisis. Consequently, officials informed CNN that the administration is preparing to implement a new program for Ukrainians who have sponsors in the United States.
However, for now, crossing the US-Mexico border remains the primary avenue for Ukrainians attempting to reach the US, as Lucero notes, emphasizing that Tijuana has effectively transformed into a waiting room.
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, Lucero says. Others are staying in churches and hotels.Ukrainians who are seeking asylum board a bus at dawn on April 7 as they head to the El Chaparral port of entry, where they hope to cross into the United States.Volunteers have come to help at the government-run shelter in Tijuana. This group, photographed on April 7, includes Ukrainians who live in Los Angeles and are serving Ukrainian 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 of the US-Mexico border on April 4.Ukrainians follow a volunteer to the San Ysidro Port of Entry as they prepare to cross into the United States on April 4.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 and deserving migrants are forced to wait.Ukrainians hoping to seek asylum in the United States set up a makeshift camp near a pedestrian border crossing in Tijuana on April 2.Ukrainians wait to cross the San Ysidro Port of Entry bridge in Tijuana on March 23. The number of Ukrainians has increased significantly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
