The mayor of Tijuana declared an international humanitarian crisis on Thursday over the arrival of more than 5,000 mostly Central American migrants traveling in a caravan.
The migrants have streamed into the border city in the past week to seek asylum in the United States.
During
a press conference Thursday, Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum asked
international groups like the United Nations to step in help the city
deal with the influx of migrants, amid a lagging response from the
Mexican federal government, which he accused of neglecting their
responsibilities to deal with migrant and immigration issues.
"They
have categorically omitted and not complied with their legal
obligations," he said. "So we're now asking them and international
humanitarian aid groups to bring in and carry out humanitarian
assistance."
For years now, large numbers of migrants have flocked to Tijuana in
their quest to seek asylum at border ports of entry along Southern
California.
But the pace of arrivals stepped up this year with the
organization of several migrant caravans, whose intended destination has
been this border community. Since last week, more than 5,000 migrants
who took off from Honduras in October arrived in Tijuana, raising tensions with local residents and straining government services.
The
municipal government estimated it has spent nearly $27,000 daily to
house and care for the nearly 4,700 migrants currently in the city. They
are housed mostly in the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, a sport
complex converted into a makeshift shelter, but well over capacity since the start of the week.
"I
will not compromise public services," Gastelum told reporters from city
hall. "I will not spend Tijuanans' money, I will not bring Tijuana into
debt now, in the same way we haven't done so these past two years."
he Baja California state government also asked the
federal government to step up its assistance. State officials have
allocated resources, and opened up shelter space in the nearby city of Mexicali,
90 miles away. That city, and state capital, is the last stop and
staging ground for the waves of migrants seeking to reach Tijuana.
The
state government estimates there are at least 1,500 migrants currently
in Mexicali, with a second caravan making its way to the city. But an
increasing number are opting to stay there, rather than face additional
hardships in Tijuana.
Gastelum has drawn criticism, as well as support, in
recent days over his approach to the migrant caravan. Last week, he
was spotted wearing a red hat that reads "Make Tijuana Great Again," in
reference to President Donald Trump's election slogan.
That
coupled with widespread coverage of an anti-immigrant march in Tijuana
and anti-immigrant sentiment flooding social media have garnered
attention since the caravan's arrival in Mexico.
Photos & videos at
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2018/11/22/tijuana-declares-humanitarian-crisis-migrant-caravan/2089905002/
Mexicans protest against migrant invaders
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/19/669193788/shouting-mexico-first-hundreds-in-tijuana-march-against-migrant-caravan
Related posts
https://gadfly01.blogspot.com/2018/10/2nd-caravan-heads-out-from-honduras-us.html
Mexicans protest against migrant invaders
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/19/669193788/shouting-mexico-first-hundreds-in-tijuana-march-against-migrant-caravan
Related posts
https://gadfly01.blogspot.com/2018/10/2nd-caravan-heads-out-from-honduras-us.html
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