There are new migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border: Ukrainian refugees
Washington PostOct 05, 2021
Refugee Camp at US-Mexico Border Sees Influx of Ukrainians
Image copyright: Getty Images [via The New York Post]
The Facts
The Mexican border city of Tijuana has seen a vast influx of Ukrainian refugees since the Biden admin. announced that the US would take up to 100k people fleeing the war with Russia.
As of Sun. night, 1.7k Ukrainians are estimated to have arrived in the city in recent weeks; some 400 of them over the past weekend. Roughly 30% are children.
The Spin
Left narrative
The hospitality being shown to Ukrainian refugees in Mexico and efforts to relocate them to the US are welcome, but more must be done to speed up asylum applications and to protect vulnerable applicants who remain camped on the border.
Right narrative
The Biden administration has let in an influx of migrants from global trouble spots in recent years, and the US cannot accommodate any more. They should instead focus on supporting the resettlement of Ukrainians in nearby countries so they can more easily return home when the situation stabilizes.
Establishment-critical narrative
The West's open-arms welcome for Ukrainians stands opposite to its treatment of refugees from places like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Systemic racism, xenophobia, and the unjust stigma of "terrorism" are uncomfortable issues that need to be discussed deeply in host countries.