Mexican authorities clear migrant camp in Tijuana

Mexican authorities cleared a migrant camp with more than 400 people on Sunday in Tijuana. The camp was made up of 86 families, 24 single mothers with children, and 33 men, according to The Associated Press.

“It was a relocation that had to be carried out carefully to avoid a collapse,” said Tijuana’s Mayor Montserrat Caballero.

The migrants were transferred to three shelters in Tijuana, where they can remain “indefinitely,” Caballero added.

"We're going to pay for the transfers and, if they want to wait for their 'American dream,' we're also going to support them while they wait," said Caballero.

Videos show around 100 members of the police, National Guard, and army dissolving the makeshift camp, which had been fenced with metal mesh. Entire families were seen packing up their belongings, reported Reuters.

One migrant, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they had no other option but to follow orders from Mexican authorities.

The camp “El Chaparral” started to form at the end of January 2021, as migrants hoped that the Biden administration would loosen immigration restrictions.

Most migrants at the border come from Central America. Many have spent over a year in Tijuana waiting for an opportunity to cross the border.