US blocks Russians at the border, accepts Ukrainians

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — About three dozen Russians seeking asylum were unable to enter the United States from Mexico on Friday, while a group of Ukrainians crossed the border after showing their passports.

The scene reflects a silent but unequivocal change in the different treatment of Russians and Ukrainians who enter Mexico as tourists and fly to Tijuana, hoping to enter the United States for the opportunity to receive asylum.

The Russians — 34 as of Friday — had camped for several days in front of the busiest U.S. border crossing with Mexico, two days after Tijuana municipal authorities kindly asked them to leave.

The Russians sat on mats and blankets, looked at their smartphones, talked and ate snacks, with sleeping bags and baby carriages next to them. A steady stream of passers-by passed by him to cross the border. Five girls were sitting in a group and talking, some holding stuffed animals.

A few days earlier, some Russians were allowed to pass to the United States at the San Ysidro border crossing, while some Ukrainians were prevented. But by Friday, the Russians were the ones who couldn't get through and the Ukrainians were admitted after short waits.

“It's very difficult to understand how they make decisions,” said Iirina Zolinka, a 40-year-old Russian who camped overnight with her family of seven after arriving in Tijuana on Thursday.

Erika Pinheiro, director of litigation and policy for activist group Al Otro Lado, said that the United States began to admit all Ukrainians on Tuesday through a humanitarian permit for one year, while at the same time blocking all Russians. There was no official announcement.

In a memo dated March 11 but released Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security told border authorities that Ukrainians could be exempt from broad asylum limits designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He said that decisions about Ukrainians will be made on a case-by-case basis, but he did not mention the Russians.

“The Department of Homeland Security recognizes that Russia's unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis,” the memorandum said.

Russian migrants in Tijuana sat next to a line of hundreds of border inhabitants waiting to cross the border walking in the direction of San Diego. The line was moving smoothly.

A 32-year-old Russian migrant who has remained at the border crossing since arriving in Tijuana with his wife five days ago did not want to leave for fear of missing a sudden opportunity.

Hours after his arrival, the migrant, who only identified himself as Mark for fear that his family in Russia would suffer reprisals, saw that three Russians were allowed to pass to the United States. After six hours, the US authorities returned his passport and said that only Ukrainians were being accepted.

“Ukrainians and Russians are suffering because of one man,” Mark said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mark fled shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

U.S. authorities have expelled migrants more than 1.7 million times since March 2020 without giving them the opportunity to take asylum, in accordance with a broad authority to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But this public health provision, known as Title 42, is rarely applied to migrants of some nationalities whose expulsion is difficult for financial or diplomatic reasons.

However, in order to apply for asylum, migrants must be found on US soil, and the authorities are preventing them from passing except those who wish to admit.

Even before the Russian invasion, the United States had seen an increase in the number of Russians and Ukrainians interested in seeking asylum, most of them attempting to enter through official San Diego border crossings rather than illegally crossing deserts and mountains.

More than 1,500 Ukrainians entered the United States through the Mexican border from September to February, according to the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP), approximately 35 times more than the 45 Ukrainians who crossed during the same period a year earlier.

Ukrainians who are able to reach US territory are virtually guaranteed their opportunity to apply for asylum. Only four of the 1,553 who entered in the period from September to February were excluded, in accordance with the public health order that allows the United States to expel migrants without the opportunity to access humanitarian protection.

The number of Russian asylum seekers entering the United States by land from Mexico exceeded 8,600 from September to February, some 30 times more than the 288 who did the same a year earlier. All but 23 were prosecuted in accordance with laws that allow them to seek asylum.

Mexican authorities have been suspicious of migrants sleeping on the border. Last month they dismantled a huge camp in Tijuana with tents and tarps, which blocked a corridor to cross into San Diego.

Wishing to prevent the formation of another camp, the municipal authorities distributed a letter on Wednesday requesting migrants to leave the places where they had camped for health and safety reasons, and offered them free shelter if they did not have the money to pay for a hotel.