A group of Russians and Ukrainians residing in the United States visited the Mexican border city of Tijuana on Friday to support the dozens of compatriots who have recently arrived in this city to seek asylum from the war that their countries have maintained since 24 February.
The group of approximately 20 people, mostly young people attached to the Good Samaritano Christian congregation, first arrived at the Ágape Misión Mundial hostel, with whom for more than 000 years they have worked together in humanitarian work.
Later they moved to the San Ysidro border port, where more than 30 people, mostly Russians, set up a small camp where they spend the night since Friday of last week, waiting to be able to enter the United States to apply for asylum.
Adrey Danchuk, P. Astor of the church of El Buen Samaritano, located in Sacramento, California, shared with the refugees that: “We are here to offer you moral support in the face of the war that our countries are fighting, we are brothers.”
He also regretted that they could not enter the United States to be considered as refugees. “Russian people are good people, the problem is not the people, nor the people, it is the leadership that is being exercised. Vladimir Putin is destroying our cities, our villages,” he said.
Pastor Danchuk added that “it is very hard” that his people “are experiencing this, some people are hidden, others have nothing to eat , that is what is happening” in his Ukrainian town, “the war is terrible, but only God can change all this”.
Albert Rivera, director of the Ágape Misión Mundial shelter, located to the west of Tijuana, shared that together they are looking for possibilities so that the refugees can obtain asylum and so that while they are in Tijuana they have the guarantees of safety and health.
One of the actions is that the Christian congregation will set up its home facilities so that they can send immigration court dates, a requirement requested by the US authorities, and where also the they can receive at the time they can enter.
A place to stay
“We are also looking at the possibility that they have a place to stay and we are negotiating with United States authorities to establish a time when they (the migrants) can enter the request asylum”, he stated.
On Thursday, the director of Attention to Migrants in Tijuana, Enrique Lucero Vázquez, visited the camp to let the refugees know that they could not be in the place and invited them to go to the shelters or return to the hotels .
The official expressed his concern that the US authorities could close the pedestrian crossing for internal security reasons, because they are right in the place where hundreds of people cross daily to carry out work activities , commercial and school.
“It is important that they go to shelters or return to a hotel, because there are no asylum processes right now for Russians or other nationalities; for the Title 42 these processes are not being received, that is why it is also suggested that they hire a certified lawyer who can present their cases” , he said.
Added that “everyone is welcome in Tijuana”, however, he said that it is important that they know that they cannot be in that place for their own safety and hygiene. “We know that in groups they feel safe, but they can all go to the shelters together,” he explained.
According to figures from the Mexican government, since 24 February that the invasion of Ukraine began, they have reached the border city of Tijuana approximately 68 people from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, most of them by air and land from the cities of Cancun and Mexico City.
Figures from the Customs and Border Protection office ( CBP, for its acronym in English) reported that between October 2021 and January of this year, corresponding to the fiscal year 2022, about 6.400 Russian and 1.000 Ukrainians have crossed the border, which represented an increase of 64 % for Russians and 68 % for Ukrainians, in comparison with the previous fiscal period.