Numbers show Ukrainians are only ‘passing through’ Mexico

TIJUANA (Border Report) — Hundreds of Ukrainian migrants have arrived in the Tijuana area so far this year, with the majority arriving this month following the Russian invasion of their country.

Since the start of the year, 487 Ukrainians have arrived in the region, said Jesús Alejandro Ruiz Uribe, a federal delegate representing the state of Baja California, adding that 310 have made it to this part of Mexico in March alone.

He stated almost none of the Ukrainian migrants have asked to stay at public or private shelters and seem to have enough money to pay for their own housing, meals and transportation.

Most of the migrants arriving in Mexico are doing so via Cancun or Mexico City before heading north to Tijuana and the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Mexico is providing Ukrainian nationals with tourist visas that are good for six months.

Since the U.S. appears to be fast-tracking Ukrainians north of the border, Ruiz Uribe doesn’t believe they will stay in Mexico for long periods and won’t generate “a migrant crisis” in Tijuana, something officials initially feared would happen.

The number of Ukrainians who attempted to enter the U.S. illegally stands at 5,534 this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, according to CBP data. In February, border agents and border officers encountered 1,147 Ukrainians nationwide. The data shows that only 11 Ukrainians have been processed under the Title 42 health orders this fiscal year, which means that they are almost immediately expelled. The other 5,523 were processed under Title 8, which may or may not result in detention.