As migrants near, U.S. toughens border
Installation of barriers closes crossing for hours
TIJUANA, Mexico — The United States closed off northbound traffic for several hours at the busiest border crossing with Mexico to install new security barriers Monday, a day after hundreds of Tijuana residents protested against the presence of thousands of Central American migrants.
The U.S. also closed one of two pedestrian crossings at the San Ysidro crossing in a move aimed at preventing any mass rush of migrants across the border.
Long lines backed up in Tijuana, where many people have to cross the border to work on the U.S. side.
Many of the Central American migrants camped in Tijuana after crossing Mexico in a caravan said Monday that the protest over the weekend by residents demanding they leave frightened them and left them even more anxious while they try to get into the United States.
Tensions have built as nearly 3,000 migrants from the caravan poured into Tijuana in recent days after more than a month on the road — and with many more months likely ahead of them while they seek asylum in the United States.
The federal government estimates the number of migrants could soon swell to 10,000.
Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S., Geronimo Gutierrez, told reporters Monday that the situation is a “wake-up call” for the U.S., Mexico and Central America that could force the region to work together to address the difficult issue of immigration.
U.S. border inspectors are processing only about 100 asylum claims a day at Tijuana’s main crossing to San Diego. For most of this city of 1.6 million, the arrival of thousands of Central Americans is not noticeable.
Most migrants stay within a threeblock radius of the sports complex that faces the towering metal walls topped with barbed wire at the U.s.-mexico border.
But many residents fear with the passage of time their presence will take its toll and crime could go up.
Since 2016, thousands of Haitians who also tried to get to the
U.S. ended up settling here, while at the same time, Tijuana has taken in thousands of Mexicans deported from the United States.
Tijuana also has been struggling with drug violence and some say they do not want the caravan bringing more problems.
Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum has called the migrants’ arrival an “avalanche” that the city is ill-prepared to handle, calculating that they will be in Tijuana for at least six months as they wait to file asylum claims.
Gastelum has appealed to the federal government for more assistance to cope with the influx.