While the migrants were generally welcomed as they passed through towns further south in Mexico, they’ve been met with a mixed reception by residents of Tijuana. Religious groups have provided assistance and the Baja California state government is helping some migrants find work, but earlier this week hundreds of locals protested the arrival of the migrants.
On Sunday, anti-caravan protesters chanted: “Out Hondurans, we don’t want you here”, “Tijuana first” and “Long live Mexico”, and waved Mexican flags and signs reading “no to the invasion” and “no more migrants”.
The group, which at its height numbered about 300, gathered in front of a statue of the Aztec warrior Cuauhtémoc before making their way to a sports complex serving as a temporary shelter to about 2,500 migrants from the caravan.
Some of the migrants have taken to protesting too. On Thursday, a group of around 150 marched on a border crossing to demand better conditions. “There are sick children here, and we are cold and hungry,” said Carlos Lopez, a Honduran who participated in the march. “The whole world is watching what is happening here.”
Most of the migrants are eager to apply for asylum in the United States, but that will take some time. The Washington Post reports that the main border crossing in San Diego processes only 100 asylum claims a day and the waiting list is already thousands of names long.
Article Appeared @http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/as-migrants-arrive-tijuana-mayor-declares-crisis.html