Tijuna Mayor declares humanitarian crisis at border city

The mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city and said he was asking the United Nations for aid to deal with the approximately 5,000 Central American migrants, most of whom are camped inside a sports complex.

The comments by Juan Manuel Gastelum came as city officials and volunteers worked to assist the 4,976 men, women and children who arrived after more than a month on the road. The Trump administration has spent weeks lambasting the caravan, which it said was filled with criminals, gang members and even terrorists.

Reuters report that unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable migrants risk falling victim to crime in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, where thousands of Central Americans from caravans may be stuck for months as authorities tighten up asylum rules, advocates say.

NBC reports that “Because of the absence, the apathy and the abandonment of the federal government, we are having to turn to international institutions like the U.N.,” Figueroa, who leads the city’s social services department, said.