|
With food and bathrooms cut off, migrants make exodus to distant shelter
Stick, Carrot? Your choice. Moved 11 miles further away as CBP does "Drill" at Otay Mesa crossing to prepare for a "rush attack" [SanDiegoUnionTribune] Tijuana officials cut off food, water and bathroom services to thousands of Central American migrants at the Benito Juárez sports complex Friday, prompting a mass exodus to another shelter 11 miles away from the U.S.-Mexico border. Conditions at the sports complex deteriorated to the point that it is no longer safe for the migrant caravan, officials said. "We can't let these people stay here because this is a big health problem and we have to clear the area," said Mario Osuna Jimenez, Tijuana's social development director. Migrants aren't being forcibly removed, but city officials said they are doing everything they can to convince them to leave voluntarily. That includes suspending essential services. "There will be no more food here, we will no longer allow people to distribute donations here," Jimenez said. "The migrants must understand that we are helping them by having another shelter that is better suited to meet their needs." Carrot The vacant event space known as El Barretal is in the outskirts of Tijuana. It features five separate enclosed spaces, multiple bathrooms, and capacity for 7,000. Federal officials began busing migrants from Benito Juárez to El Barretal Thursday evening. Many migrants were skeptical of the move because it was too far away from the border and because of general uncertainty about the conditions. To ease concerns, officials took photos of El Barretal and asked migrants who moved the night before to share testimonials with people in Benito Juárez. Not everyone was convinced. "I'd rather sleep in the street, said Jorge Quintania, 30, of Guatemala. "I don't want to go backwards." Quintania said he traveled hundreds of miles in one direction and did not want to turn around. Even if it was just 11 miles. Migrants who refused to board the buses Thursday night changed their mind after the city suspended services Friday. Stick "Why stay here and suffer without food or water?" asked Karla Amayo Rios, 38, of Honduras. Posted by: Frank G 2018-12-02 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=528868 |