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Gallery|Refugees

Photos: Ukrainian refugees fleeing war wait on US-Mexico border

‘Everything changed in a moment,’ one woman says, as more than 2,000 Ukrainians are in Tijuana waiting to enter the US.

A Ukrainian mother holds her child as they wait to seek asylum in Tijuana, Mexico.
A Ukrainian mother holds her child as they wait to seek asylum in the US at the San Ysidro port of entry in Tijuana, Mexico [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
By Zaydee Sanchez
Published On 7 Apr 20227 Apr 2022
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Tijuana, Mexico – As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, hundreds of Ukrainian refugees continue to arrive at the US-Mexico border in hopes of getting protection in the United States.

The US exempted Ukrainians from a policy that effectively bars most asylum seekers from having their claims heard at the border. On March 24, President Joe Biden also announced that his administration would take in as many as 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Days later, an influx of Ukrainians arrived in the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

For a little more than a week, an outdoor encampment outside Tijuana’s “Garita” bus terminal had provided temporary assistance to the Ukrainian refugees arriving every day. Volunteers from California kept the site running, providing people with essentials: food, water, tents, blankets, and portable toilets; a medic was also on site.

They established a makeshift registration system, as well, in an effort to make the process as easy as possible – first taking down names on a yellow notepad and assigning each person a number in the order they arrived, before moving the list to an online platform.

“We have volunteers at the airport providing people with a bar code so they can get on the list the moment they get off the plane,” said Inna Levine, one of the lead volunteers.

From the encampment, the numbers were called in groups of 15 to 20 people. A volunteer then guided the group to Tijuana’s San Ysidro port of entry with the US. Volunteers say that on average, refugees waited between 45 minutes to two hours at the port of entry until US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents allowed them through the gates and into the country.

With the number of arrivals increasing and fears the border crossing could be shut amid the influx, Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero opened up the Benito Juarez sports complex on April 2 to house people. “This action is a preventive measure to avoid people congregating near the San Ysidro Port of Entry,” Caballero said, as reported by local media.

Local media outlet Uniradio Informa reported on Wednesday that the refugees had left the bus terminal encampment, with many of the 2,300 Ukrainians remaining in Tijuana relocating to the sports complex.

Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
The Benito Juarez sports complex is set up to accommodate 300 Ukrainian refugees near the US-Mexico border. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
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Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
As the sun sets, Ukrainian refugee children play with toys inside Tijuana's bus terminal. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainians in Tijuana Mexico
An impromptu camp for Ukrainians was set up inside and around the Garita bus terminal in Tijuana, Mexico. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Ukrainian refugees, able to travel to Mexico without a visa, are gathering at the US border, where officials are processing them into the country in small groups. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Julia Olijnyk is expecting her first child, a girl, that she and her husband plan to name Nicole. After taking four flights to arrive in Mexico, the encampment medic provided a check-up and said mother and child are healthy. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Julia Olijnyk came from Irpin, Ukraine. 'Our city was attacked very heavily, so we needed to run away in the first days,' she says. 'Everything changed in a moment, sometimes I feel like I've been sleeping all this time.' [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
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Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
The Garita bus terminal in Tijuana had become a shelter for hundreds of Ukrainian refugees. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Ukrainian refugees have waited at Tijuana's San Ysidro port of entry to be called by US Customs and Border Protection agents to be processed. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Ukrainian refugees line up as US agents begin to allow them into the port of entry. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
A young girl and her father pull luggage out of a van as volunteers assisted them to a tent where they would sleep that night in Tijuana. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Busses adorned with the Ukraine flag transport Ukrainian refugees 24 hours a day from the airport into Tijuana. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Ukrainian refugees sleep inside the Benito Juarez sports complex in Tijuana, which has running water, bathrooms, a playground, and a small clinic set up by volunteers. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
Inside the Benito Juarez sports facility, stuffed animals and toys donated by California volunteers are shelved for Ukrainian children to play with. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]
Ukrainian's in Tijuana Mexico
A barbed-wire fence divides US customs from the Tijuana port of entry. Ukrainians stand with their luggage as they wait for their group to be processed. [Zaydee Sanchez/Al Jazeera]

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