Blow-back on El Chaparral opening for Ukrainians

Last Thursday April 7, the El Chaparral Port of Entry at the San Ysidro-Tijuana borderline was reopened, after more than two years of its closure in 2020 due to Covid. To the surprise of many, migration authorities of the U.S. did not open the gate to enhance the daily border crossing but for Ukrainian refugees.

This has set off complaints among those that cross the border for work, mainly Mexican-Americans and non-Ukrainian migrants who have waited months or even years.

Erwin Lopez, who works in San Diego and crosses the border daily said, "We all lose because people sometimes are late for their jobs.... From what I have noticed Central Americans were never treated that well, for me is something uncomfortable to see the preference they (Ukrainians) are given just for the color of their skin”.

Two months ago, the El Chaparral migrant camp of Central Americans was expunged by Tijuana’s municipal government, promising its reopening would help out the flow of the cross border lanes.

For Josefía Ariaz, who crosses daily, it's not fair for Mexican-Americans or legal residents because they were waiting for the El Chaparral gate to be reopened. She noted the difference in how Ukrainian migrants and Hondurans are treated.

“I think it's kind of racist, why if they (Central Americans) are also escaping from something they are not given the same attention. It's like a friend of mine said: The U.S. prefers blonde white migrants to keep their race because we Mexicans and Hondurans look alike more or less. I agree with her."

Judith Cabrera co-director of Border Line Crisis Center which advocates for migrants, explained that one group is received as heroes, the other is received as criminals.

“We know that Ukrainians are escaping from this terrible war that is happening in their country, but migrants are escaping from a war environment as well. Of course, war is not official, but their lives are threatened and on their way here they suffered rapes, murders, and all kinds of hardships.

“The thing here is that the U.S. is responding according to their geopolitical strategy. Ukraine is one of its allies. Russians have been treated differently."

Most Ukraine migrants usually wait for about three or four days to get into the U.S. Central Americans that have had to remain for months in Mexico while waiting.

Neither Mexican nor American migration authorities have announced when the El Chaparral Port of Entry would be open for its normal use, but Ukrainian migrant waves have not been spotted arriving since the start of the war.