On the night of June 28 in a makeshift migrant camp on the U.S. border with Tijuana, approximately 1:00 am, a group of Haitian men, women and children migrants were attacked in their tents with gunfire, rocks and machetes. They were told to evacuate and leave the area. But because of U.S. rules stopping asylum seekers from reaching the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, first by Trump and continuing under Biden, they have nowhere to go.
The camp, is one of several along the U.S.-Mexico border. There are approximately 2500 people from Central America, Mexico, Africa, South America, and Haiti living at the Plaza Viva, about one square block that served as the western entrance to Mexico from the U.S. until it was closed at the beginning of the pandemic. The situation has created what is a powder keg in the tent camp where there is almost no Mexican State presence and little organized aid. The refugees, many families with children and even elderly adults, live without any secure source of food or water. There are no bathrooms or porta-potties for the 2500 people. One migrant reported that they have to use storm drains to defecate.
On Sunday, several of the Haitian migrants were hospitalized with bullet wounds, stab wounds, and broken bones. One woman testified of an earlier attack that caused her to lose the baby she was carrying. Many called on the U.S. and president Biden to reverse the previous administration’s rule barring entry which has caused a tremendous insecurity and violence along the border, especially for black migrants who are commonly targeted.
The migrant testimonies and photos posted here are unedited.
Victoria Bruce is the editor and publisher of the Arundel Patriot. She is currently working on a film documenting lawyers working on the refugee crisis along the U.S.- Mexico border. More information here.
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