The migrant camp in Tijuana is now shrinking. According to this google-translated article below by the “El Imparcial” website. (El Imparical owns the major newspapers in Tijuana and Mexicali.) They fenced off the camp a couple weeks ago and started monitoring who comes and goes, with criminals and other undesirables not allowed to enter the camp. They are not allowing new migrants to move into the camp, either.
I checked out the camp yesterday. There were US Customs agents manning he guard shacks on the US side going into Mexico and saw a troop of about 20 Mexican National guardsmen at the vehicle crossing going into Mexico. So, they appeared to be prepared in case the migrants try to rush the border via the Mexican vehicle crossing, which is right next to the camp.
This migrant camp is totally blocking the pedestrian crossing on the west side of the port of entry. There is another pedestrian crossing on the east side, but the PEDWEST crossing is the newer crossing and a lot better positioned for access to shops and other tourist attractions.
The camp has caused a huge hardship for the Mexican businesses and street vendors and somewhat less hardship on the US side. Local sentiment near the camp is very much in opposition to the camp being there. When the caravanners rushed the border in 2018, the businessmen and workers in the area counter-rioted against the caravanners in this area, because they feared the border would be closed and impact their livelihood. So, we see here that the U.S. Government is not the only government that puts the interests of their own citizens second to foreigners, who are in this case mostly intent on fraudulently entering the US via manipulation of the asylum process should not be there in the first place.
I am not claiming everything is rosy now, but this may be a little bit of good news. On the other hand, the camp could also be shrinking because they decided to cross illegally or because the US has started accepting them to apply for asylum.
Also, this is only one group of many in Tijuana waiting to cross the border. At any given time there are a couple to a few thousand people in Tijuana waiting at 1-2 dozen shelters and in rented apartments to cross the border illegally and/or defraud the asylum system.
(I made minor corrections to the article below where the google-translation obviously failed.)
Families of the migrant camp decrease (in Spanish) by El Imparcial
Families who are victims of forced displacement continue to arrive, and are prevented by the authorities from entering the camp.
By Khennia Reyes
15 November of 2021
Tijuana, B.C.- Little by little the migrant families that inhabit the El Chaparral camp are decreasing due to the fact that they gave up humanitarian asylum in the United States.
In that area at the time lived more than two thousand people; At the end of October, the municipal directorate of Migrant Assistance counted 769 after placing a metal fence to detect those who enter and leave.
The head of the agency, Enrique Lucero, estimated that there are currently 680 Mexican and Central American children and adults who seek the protection of the North American government.
He said that another factor in the decline in the population of the camp is the pain of separation before the December holidays.
Lucero commented that from October to date 21 people have been assisted in returning to Michoacán, Guerrero and Veracruz.
On the other hand, he acknowledged that families who are victims of forced displacement continue to arrive, who are prevented by the authorities from entering the camp.
“That is the idea, of not populating it anymore, which is work that was not done before. Before they came and were allowed into the camp; We now have a policy of immediately looking for a shelter, then “Grupo Beta” supports us with the transfer, ”said the director.
Currently, the Directorate of Attention to Migrants has a census of 25 shelters, but only supports 12 that are legally constituted and have permits to operate, which are helped by pantries.