By NEDA IRANPOUR, NEWS 8
SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - An additional 4,000 migrants are expected to arrive at the border starting Friday through the weekend. The group has been growing by the hundreds each day, with about 800 migrants arriving in Tijuana Thursday.
The arrival of more people is causing unrest in the area and clashes have been reported between migrants from Central America and people who live in Tijuana.
Some of the unrest is centered in Playas de Tijuana where some Mexican residents demonstrated that they wanted the migrants out of their neighborhood, saying they don’t want them here, "dirtying their streets." While some people have opened their doors to help, the following video shows that not all people are as welcoming. In the video, yelling back and forth is heard as migrants from Honduras, Venezuela, Guatemala, Columbia all try to find a place to call home.
WARNING: This video may contain content not suitable for all audiences. (Thursday, November 15, 2018)
To ease some of the tension, buses picked up many of the migrants and took them to a sports facility that was converted into a shelter in Tijuana.
So far at least 1,600 have arrived with thousands more walking or being picked up by buses from southern states, set to arrive this weekend.
The influx of people is proving to be a burden on Tijuana, but many are donating food and clothes and civic groups and churches are trying to provide housing for the group.
On the United States side the increased fence line and additional patrolling continues. The Border Patrol from the San Diego sector released this statement Friday, November 16:
The Border Patrol is prepared for the rapidly evolving situation along the border in San Diego with the daily arrival of caravan members in Tijuana. We are working closely with our Mexican partners to minimize the impact of the caravan members and discourage unwanted or criminal behavior. Caravan members are reminded that the proper way to enter or claim asylum in the U.S. is through an official port of entry. As DHS officials have stated on multiple occasions, “…being a member of a caravan doesn’t give you any special rights to enter the country. If they arrive at a Port of Entry, they will have to wait in line in keeping with the lawful processes at our ports of entry. If they attempt to enter illegally, they will have violated U.S. criminal law and in accordance with the President’s proclamation and the Interim Final Rule they would be ineligible for asylum.”
Unlawful activity and acts of violence will not be tolerated. Both U.S. and Mexican law enforcement entities are monitoring caravan activities to ensure the safety of caravan members, the public and our law enforcement officers.
It’s important to note, Mexican volunteers are trying to help asylum seekers by having them sign a book which gets them in line, in effect, to speak with an immigration officer. This is a way to keep the massive group from rushing the port of entry.
People have showed up along the fence line, some sitting on top and others trying to hop over. But most wanting to peak across the border to get a look at the country they hope to call home.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is not currently releasing the number of people that have requested asylum.
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