[Washington Examiner] The mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, declared an international humanitarian crisis Thursday for his city after about 5,000 Central American migrants traveling in a caravan descended on the U.S. border.Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum made a public appeal during a Thursday press conference for help from the United Nations in the absence of adequate assistance from the Mexican government and his reluctance to allocate his city's own public resources to counter issues created by the sudden influx of people, according to the Associated Press.
The Baja California state government, which covers Tijuana, has also sought federal government aid. The state government has so far directed resources into the nearby city of Mexicali to alleviate the pressure placed on Tijuana, the Arizona Republic reported.
Most members of the migrant caravan, many of whom are from Honduras, embarked on the journey to seek asylum in the U.S. at Southern California ports of entry.
Gastelum's declaration comes after President Trump threatened on Thursday to close the southern border if the migrant situation worsens. It also follows White House chief of staff John Kelly signing a "Cabinet order" giving U.S. troops stationed at the border permission to carry out some law enforcement tasks and use force.