With hopes for asylum in U.S. dashed, migrants in Tijuana ponder next moves

Haitian migrants are among those staying astatine the Albergue Assabil structure successful Tijuana. Many Haitians, who fled pack unit successful their homeland, person been successful limbo, surviving astatine the structure since the U.S. migration crackdown.

TIJUANA — When the Russian antheral arrived astatine the U.S.-Mexico borderline connected March 1, helium knew helium was excessively late. Still, helium held connected to anticipation that adjacent with President Trump successful bureau helium could beryllium fto into the United States to question asylum.

Slavik, a 37-year-old engineer, said helium fled Russia aft being beaten by information forces for supporting the opposing governmental party. He had hoped to conscionable U.S. migration officials to use for asylum, helium said, and has friends consenting to sponsor him.

Alicia Ayala, with Agape For All Nations Ministries International, shaves the caput of Russian migrant Slavik, 37, astatine the Albergue Assabil structure successful Tijuana.

Instead, helium spent weeks astatine a structure for migrants successful Tijuana arsenic helium mulled implicit what to bash next.

“I conscionable tried to bash by rules and wait,” said Slavik, who asked to beryllium identified by his nickname for fearfulness of retribution. “There is thing other now. All migration volition beryllium illegally.”

In Tijuana, thousands of migrants specified arsenic Slavik had tried to unafraid an assignment with migration officials done a Biden medication telephone application, but Trump canceled the program, successful effect blocking entree to asylum. Many person since near the region.

With nary mode to legally participate the U.S., the temper among migrants inactive successful Tijuana has shifted from cautious optimism to hopelessness. Shelters are nary longer full, and directors accidental those who stay are among the astir vulnerable.

Making matters worse, backing cuts by the Trump medication to the U.S. Agency for International Development, oregon USAID, person brought immoderate shelters to the brink of closure, tightened others’ budgets and importantly reduced migrant healthcare services. Enduring organizations present conflict to capable the gaps.

“As lawyers, we privation to springiness radical solutions, but determination are nary now,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder and main enforcement of the Los Angeles-based Immigrant Defenders Law Center. She visits Tijuana shelters a fewer times a month. “It’s them asking a batch of questions and america saying, ‘I’m truthful sorry.’”

Haitian migrants enactment astatine the Albergue Assabil structure successful Tijuana. The halfway serves mostly Muslim migrants but besides radical from each implicit the world.

Although amerciable borderline crossings are down to a trickle, Toczylowski and different advocates judge they volition yet statesman to increase.

Slavik fled his homeland successful 2022, archetypal surviving successful Turkey and Georgia earlier realizing that, arsenic Russian allies, those countries weren’t safe.

He can’t spell backmost to Russia, wherever helium would beryllium considered a violent sponsor for donating to the run of Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s biggest governmental rival, who died nether suspicious circumstances past year.

But staying successful Mexico oregon elsewhere successful Latin America would beryllium difficult, Slavik said, due to the fact that helium doesn’t talk Spanish. He speaks basal English and has considered going to Canada, but friends told him it’s hard arsenic good to get asylum there.

Now Slavik is starting to consciousness similar helium has nary different prime but to effort to get into the U.S. illegally.

“Maybe this is 1 chance,” helium said. “If a batch of radical bash it, past possibly I tin bash it.”

Slavik stayed astatine Albergue Assabil, a structure that serves mostly Muslim migrants. Director Angie Magaña said fractional of the 130 radical surviving determination earlier the U.S. statesmanlike predetermination successful the autumn person since left. Many went backmost to their location countries — including Russia, Haiti, Congo, Tajikistan and Afghanistan — contempt the dangers they could face. Others went to Panama, she said.

On a caller Friday, the structure was bustling. Haircuts were being offered successful the courtyard. A motortruck pulled up outside, and residents helped transportation successful cases of donated bottled water. Inside the assemblage center, those having meal and beverage cleared the tables arsenic members of a humanitarian enactment arrived to play games with the children.

Angie Magaña, left, manager of the Albergue Assabil structure successful Tijuana, waits for a transportation of donated items.

Magaña said she’s frank with those who remain: “Most radical person the anticipation that thing volition happen. I archer them their champion stake is to get asylum here” successful Mexico.

Toczylowski said this medication differs substantially from Trump’s archetypal term, erstwhile she could question humanitarian introduction for peculiarly hopeless cases, specified arsenic a pistillate fleeing a unsafe relationship. Now whenever a pistillate says her abuser has recovered her and she asks Toczylowski what she tin do, “it’s the archetypal clip successful my vocation that we tin say, ‘There’s nary enactment that exists for you.’”

In the weeks aft the telephone app for borderline appointments was eliminated, Toczylowski brought susceptible families, including those with children who person disabilities, to the San Ysidro larboard of entry.

She said a Border Patrol cause told them determination was nary process to question asylum and turned them away.

The U.S. subject has added layers of concertina wire to six miles of the borderline obstruction adjacent San Ysidro.

“Ideally, it deters them from crossing” illegally, said Jeffrey Stalnaker, acting main patrol cause of the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector. “We would alternatively person them participate astatine a larboard of entry, wherever it’s overmuch safer, and hopefully this guides them successful that direction.”

He did not code the information that the authorities has fundamentally stopped considering asylum requests astatine ports of entry. Toczylowski said that successful her experience, constricted exceptions person been made for unaccompanied children.

Migrant Haitians enactment astatine the Albergue Assabil structure successful Tijuana. Many Haitians, who fled pack unit successful Haiti, person been successful limbo, surviving astatine this Muslim structure since the U.S. migration crackdown.

The halting of USAID funds is besides transforming beingness astatine the border. On his archetypal time successful office, Jan. 20, Trump signed an enforcement bid freezing U.S. overseas assistance payments for 90 days, pending a reappraisal of ratio and alignment with overseas policy. The bid says overseas assistance is “not aligned with American interests and successful galore cases antithetical to American values.”

An April 3 report by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute recovered that up to $2.3 cardinal successful migration-related grants look connected leaked lists shared with Congress of terminated overseas assistance from USAID and the State Department. Among the backing — which provided humanitarian assistance, countered quality trafficking and enabled exile resettlement — was $200 cardinal focused specifically connected deterring migration from Central America.

The fallout from the cuts has already begun, the study states. For instance, the authorities of Ecuador utilized the withdrawal of overseas assistance to justify rescinding amnesty for Venezuelan migrants, which could person dissuaded immoderate from continuing northbound toward the United States.

In Tijuana, Trump’s bid led to the closure of a wellness and societal services clinic called Comunidad AVES. A longtime structure called Casa del Migrante is present connected the brink of closure aft USAID-funded organizations scaled backmost their support, leaving its leaders connected a hopeless hunt for replacement funding.

Midwife Ximena Rojas and her squad of 2 doulas tally a birthing halfway and connection intersexual and reproductive attraction to migrants.

Midwives Xanic Zamudio, left, and Ximena Rojas beryllium with Rojas’ children adjacent to a birthing tub they usage successful Rojas’ location successful Tijuana. Since healthcare services for migrants person unopen down, the midwives person been overwhelmed with requests for services specified arsenic prenatal care, household readying and gestation tests.

Rojas sees 20 patients a day, 3 days a week. Her services are crucial: Many of the women she sees person ne'er had a Pap smear and immoderate were sexually assaulted connected the migration route.

With the closure of AVES and concerns astir Casa del Migrante — which has a concern with the Tijuana authorities for play doc visits — Rojas said the unit is mounting connected her tiny cognition to someway grow its reach.

“We are astatine max capacity,” she said. “We request an army.”

Rojas said she’s considering opening a nutrient slope for migrants to marque up for the nonaccomplishment of U.S.-government supported assistance.

“Our extremity is to diminish babe death, besides maternal death. The champion mode to bash it is with nutrition,” Rojas said. “I springiness them a prenatal vitamin each day, but if they are eating [only] a banana a day, it’s like, a vitamin tin lone bash truthful much.”

Many shelters counted connected funds from the International Organization for Migration for groceries. At Espacio Migrante, the wealth paid for imported ingredients that allowed families from countries specified arsenic Russia and Uzbekistan to navigator religiously oregon culturally due meals.

At La Casita de Union Trans, a structure for transgender women, the 6,000 pesos the installation got each period (about $300) went toward basal necessities — eggs, cooking lipid and milk.

Susy Barrales is the manager of La Casita de Union Trans, a structure for transgender women successful Tijuana. The structure is presently houses 5 transgender migrants.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

But manager Susy Barrales said U.S. authorities won’t halt trans women from seeking safety, oregon the structure trying to enactment them.

“I privation the girls to study, to get a profession, truthful they tin face thing that comes their mode — due to the fact that I’ve done it,” said Barrales, who is studying for a societal enactment license. “We are going to support striving.”

Shelter residents see Miranda Torres, 31, a hairstylist who fled Venezuela successful July aft she was raped by strangers and constabulary refused to investigate. She said the battle infected her with HIV. Venezuela’s ongoing economical illness meant she had nary entree to treatment.

Torres said she walked northbound done the Darien Gap, a unsafe 60-mile agelong of jungle that straddles the borderline dividing Colombia and Panama, wherever she was sexually assaulted again.

Venezuelan migrant Miranda Torres, 31, cries arsenic she recalls the unit she endured portion traveling from her homeland to Tijuana. She has been staying astatine La Casita de Union Trans.

In Oaxaca, Mexico, she was diagnosed with lymphatic crab and went done country and chemotherapy. She present bears a circular scar connected her cervix and covers her bald caput with a wig.

After taking clip to recover, Torres yet arrived successful Tijuana successful December, wherever she slept atop a cardboard container connected the thoroughfare portion making repeated and progressively unsafe attempts to participate the U.S.

Unable to unafraid an assignment done the telephone app, she went to the San Ysidro larboard of entry, waiting extracurricular for 4 days to talk with an agent. She was turned distant and past detained by Mexican migration officials earlier being released due to the fact that of her wellness conditions.

Torres said men belonging to a transgression radical began to people her, saying they would harm her if she didn’t transverse the border. So she attempted to ascent the borderline obstruction but was excessively anemic to hoist herself up. Then they told her to aquatics astir the obstruction that extends into the Pacific Ocean. She astir drowned.

Now, Torres has fixed up connected the U.S. and is applying for asylum successful Mexico.

“My dreams are successful my head, not successful immoderate peculiar country,” she said, seated connected a bunk furniture successful 1 of La Casita’s 2 bedrooms portion Chappell Roan’s deed “Pink Pony Club” played from someone’s telephone successful the surviving room.

“If they’re not imaginable successful the U.S., I’ll marque them hap here.”

Dessire López walks backmost wrong La Casita de Union Trans successful Tijuana. López is simply a wellness advocator astatine the shelter.