Tijuana (Mexico), April 1 (EFE) – Dozens of people of Ukrainian descent living in various cities in California (USA) have joined as volunteers to receive compatriots at Tijuana International Airport who are fleeing to help with the Russian invasion. They cross the border and ask for shelter.
For a week, part of this group of volunteers spent several hours daily guarding the airport and receiving refugees with banners in the colors of the flag and legends written in their language, such as “Help the Ukrainians.”
Vlad Fedorisin, one of the volunteers picking up his compatriots at the airport, told Ephesus this Friday that all the volunteers came from different cities in the United States, some from the Christian community.
“We are here, first of all, because the Ukrainians have to help the Ukrainians because of what is happening in Ukraine. “They are looking for a place of refuge and they are coming to cross the border into the United States to find a safe place,” he said.
More than a month after the start of the conflict, the number of Ukrainians who have left their country now exceeds four million, representing about 10% of the country’s population.
First aid and legal aid
The activist explained that as soon as people arrive, they record each one of them, deliver the food and also give instructions on where they can stay.
They are also told how to carry out the asylum process, for which they are also transported to the San Isidro border port, where they are recorded on an informal list to monitor the crossing and submit their cases to the authorities. .
In this way the volunteers created a system that could help them. “Because no one was here, it would be a disaster, because many Ukrainians want to go quickly to the checkpoint to enter the United States, because they no longer have homes, they were destroyed by Russian bombs,” he said.
Alone or with family
In one of the tours carried out by Efe through the airport, it was possible to observe more than sixty groups of people arriving in Tijuana individually, in pairs, in complete families or with some of their pets.
One person from this group, who did not want to be identified for security reasons, told Efe that accepting volunteers makes them “feel more protected and safe” because they do not know “anything here” and they do. “Help them in everything.”
Fedorishin added that the safety of his compatriots was very important, as they noticed that “many Mexicans attacked them and even paid up to a thousand dollars to take them to the checkpoint.”
“That’s why we’re here, and to accompany them, but we’re not going to the United States with them,” he added.
As crowds gathered at the San Isidro border port, Tijuana police agents allowed them to leave the suburban transportation station last Tuesday to spend the night and wait for the asylum process.
It would not be out of the question to open an uninhabited area in the same area today to settle temporarily.
Ukrainians seeking asylum in the United States go in groups of 25 to 30 people.
In this way, about 150 people cross the so-called “parole” or humanitarian permit issued by the US Immigration Authority every day, a police agent confirmed to Efe.
Vlad Fedorishin said that although they only started counting Ukrainians last Monday with the system they had introduced, these days they have already counted more than 3,000 Ukrainians trying to cross into the United States after the means granted by the government to the people of this country.
And this Friday they expect another 1,000 people to arrive.
Manuel Ayala
Source: El Diario
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
