Migrant shelters in Tijuana – located across the border from San Diego, California – are bracing for a possible surge in the influx of migrants should US President Donald Trump carry out his mass deportation plan.
More than 30 shelters operate in the Mexican border city located in the northwestern state of Baja California, according to local authorities. Humanitarian workers CNN spoke to said a lack of space, resources, and overall uncertainty are among the issues facing the shelters.
The director of Jardin de las Mariposas shelter, C Jamie Marín, told CNN there is concern that Trump’s potential mass deportations could trigger a humanitarian crisis related to services for both migrants going to the United States and those who have been deported. “There is collective nervousness… about the decisions made by President Trump’s administration,” Marín said.
“The biggest challenge (for shelters) is not knowing what is going to happen, I am mentally preparing myself,” Pat Murphy, who runs the Casa del Migrante shelter, told CNN last week, before Trump’s inauguration.
Their worries stem from Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations once in office.
During his inaugural speech on Monday, Trump reiterated his pledge. “We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens to the places from which they came,” he said from the US Capitol.
Bracing for the potential surge of migrants entering the city, authorities in Tijuana declared a state of emergency last week.
The state of emergency is an administrative move that allows the city to access funds to rent spaces, and pay for legal services, personnel, equipment, and supplies, according to a statement from the city shared with CNN.
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Source: CNN
