TIJUANA (Border Report) — Shelters across Tijuana started the year with a respite in the number of migrants seeking help, but in recent weeks, things have returned to crowded and saturated conditions, said Pastor Albert Rivera, who runs the AGAVE Mission Shelter in Tijuana.
Rivera told Border Report three main factors are contributing to the high number of migrants looking for a temporary home.
He said many, from others parts of Mexico, who thought they had set up appointments for asylum interviews on the U.S. side of the border, are being turned back due to the lack of confirmations.
“They are ending up on the streets of Tijuana with nowhere to go,” Rivera said.
And Rivera pointed out the U.S. Government continues to expel many migrants due to Title 42, especially single men from El Salvador and Guatemala.
He says this is also adding to the number of people looking for shelter space.
And thirdly, Rivera described this time of the year as the season when many migrants from the interior of Mexico head north to work in the U.S.
But until they cross the border, they wait in shelters in cities such as Tijuana.
“This is only going to get worse as more and more workers are expected over the next few months,” said Rivera.
Enrique Lucero, the director of Tijuana’s Migrant Affairs Office, said there are now 30 migrant shelters open in the city of Tijuana compared to just five in 2016.
All are operating at capacity, he said.
