U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis: Mexican Officials Demolish Makeshift Migrant Camp in Tijuana; Hundreds Evicted

Mexican authorities demolished on Sunday a makeshift migrant camp in Tijuana, near the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to Associated Press, around 381 immigrants, mostly Central Americans and Mexicans, were evicted in the area. Excavators and trucks arrived at the scene to bring down the migrants' tents around El Chaparral crossing, where migrants had been staying for almost a year.

At least a hundred members of the police, National Guard, and army arrived in the area and helped in demolishing the migrant camp that is fenced by metal mesh, per Reuters.

Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero Ramírez said the eviction was carried out peacefully and orderly.

"It was a relocation that had to be carried out carefully to avoid a collapse," Caballero Ramírez said. The mayor also explained that the demolition came as the migrants lived in a state of "insecurity" for health reasons.

However, the mayor did not provide details on the mentioned health concern.

Caballero Ramírez further noted that the demolition and eviction were not done in response to U.S. pressure.

"You know that Tijuana is governed by its own legal norms," the mayor pointed out.

At around 6 a.m., Border Report noted that all of the migrants in the camp were moved to a new location. All that was left in the camp were the tents and some of the migrants' belongings that were collected by authorities as trash.

By late morning, the area was reportedly cleared out of any debris. Authorities then disinfected the area.

Migrants Say Eviction and Demolition Done by Authorities in Mexico is 'Unfair'

The 381 evicted migrants, composed of 86 families with single mothers and children, were reportedly transferred to three different shelters, namely the Migrant Integration Center, Migrant Sanctuary, and the Salesian Project in Mexico.

Despite being transferred to migrant facilities, migrants who were evacuated still saw the move from the Mexican authorities as "unfair."

One migrant identified as Guadalupe Omeca said the move was "inhumane" because the evacuation and demolition were done at dawn while the "children were asleep."

Another migrant, Graciela, underscored that kicking them out of the migrant camp was "unfair" because they are still human beings.

"They could've talked to us before they moved us out, we all came here out of need. We want to stay because we have a lot of needs," Graciela noted.

However, Caballero Ramírez contradicted what the migrant said and explained that migrants collected their belongings and boarded the bus voluntarily, and they were previously notified about their transfer.

The demolition of the migrant camp in Tijuana came after hundreds of migrants in Tapachula, Mexico protested last week over the government's delayed visa approval process. They also threatened to form a new caravan that would head towards the U.S. border.

On Saturday, Mexico's National Health Human Rights Commission (CNDH) urged the country's immigration authorities to speed up the processes of visas that would help almost 2,000 migrants get documents for a regularized stay in Mexico.

Tijuana Migrant Camp in Mexico

The said Tijuana camp in Mexico, also known as "El Chaparral" camp, was formed in late January last year, with the arrival of the Biden administration.

The said camp resulted from the U.S.' limiting the flow of migrants under the policies that force migrants to wait in Mexico.

The said camp became a problem for authorities in both countries as it affected traffic through one of three pedestrian crossings to San Diego in the U.S.

According to reports, tens of thousands of migrants flee their home countries and seek to live in the U.S. However, some of them also aim to stay in Mexico.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Inside Migrant Camp In Tijuana, Asylum-Seekers Are Waiting On A Plan - From KPBS Public Media