Hundreds of Haitians Stuck in Mexican Border City
MEXICO CITY – Hundreds of Haitians hoping to cross into the United States are stuck in Tijuana, a border city in northwestern Mexico, after making the trek north from Brazil, where their dreams of a better life were dashed by an economic downturn.
Thousands of Haitians fled their homeland following the 2010 earthquake and were welcomed in Brazil, which offered them visas on humanitarian grounds.
The 2014 World Cup and this year’s Summer Olympic Games provided opportunities for the Haitians to work in construction, restaurants and the cleaning industry.
Some of the emigrants even had children in Brazil, whose economy has been battered by a deep recession, leaving them without jobs and struggling once again to survive.
The Haitians turned their sights north to the United States, but they now find themselves marooned in Tijuana, located in Mexico’s Baja California state near San Diego, California.
U.S. authorities had been allowing about 100 migrants per day to apply for entry via Tijuana, but Washington changed its policy last week.
The Obama administration said last Thursday that Haitians who crossed into the United States illegally now face deportation to their homeland.
Some 5,000 Haitians have been allowed to enter the United States via Mexico so far this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
MEXICO CITY – Hundreds of Haitians hoping to cross into the United States are stuck in Tijuana, a border city in northwestern Mexico, after making the trek north from Brazil, where their dreams of a better life were dashed by an economic downturn.Thousands of Haitians fled their homeland following the 2010 earthquake and were welcomed in Brazil, which offered them visas on humanitarian grounds.
The 2014 World Cup and this year’s Summer Olympic Games provided opportunities for the Haitians to work in construction, restaurants and the cleaning industry.
Some of the emigrants even had children in Brazil, whose economy has been battered by a deep recession, leaving them without jobs and struggling once again to survive.
The Haitians turned their sights north to the United States, but they now find themselves marooned in Tijuana, located in Mexico’s Baja California state near San Diego, California.
U.S. authorities had been allowing about 100 migrants per day to apply for entry via Tijuana, but Washington changed its policy last week.
The Obama administration said last Thursday that Haitians who crossed into the United States illegally now face deportation to their homeland.
Some 5,000 Haitians have been allowed to enter the United States via Mexico so far this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
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