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TIJUANA (Border Report) — Around 4:30 Sunday morning, more than 100 police officers and members of Mexico’s National Guard descended on a makeshift campsite just south of the San Ysidro Port of Entry and cleared everyone from the area.
About 380 men, women and children are said to have been relocated to a shelter.
The city of Tijuana says it was done in a peaceful and orderly manner.
By 6 a.m., all of the camp’s residents had been moved, and all that remained were their tents and most of their belongings that were collected as trash, the city said.
“It’s unfair they are kicking us out, we’re human beings,” Graciela said in Spanish. “They could’ve talked to us before they moved us out, we all came here out of need, we want to stay because we have a lot of needs.”
By late morning, the site had been completely cleared of any debris and crews were busy spraying and disinfecting the area.
The area is at an exit and entrance point to Ped West, a pedestrian crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry that has been closed for most of the pandemic.
There has been talk of reopening the facility, but both governments have said it would be impossible with the migrant campsite in the way.
The camp formed nearly a year ago on Feb. 18, when the first migrants arrived hoping to be first in line should the border be open to migrants, something that never took place.
At its height, there were close to 2,000 migrants living at the site last summer.
Initially, most of the inhabitants were from Central America and Haiti.
But in recent months, the demographics changed as more and more migrants from the interior of Mexico moved in.
Please stay tuned to Border Report for updated information about the camp’s demise.
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