Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians Are Fleeing to the U.S. Via Mexico
The Wall Street Journal ^ | 17 March 2022 | Juan Montes and Alicia A. Caldwell
Posted on 3/17/2022, 7:57:39 AM by
Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians fleeing their countries are choosing an unusual route to escape sanctions and war: Traveling to Mexico and then crossing the U.S. border.
The numbers of both nationalities entering Mexico have soared in recent months. While some are tourists, Mexican officials believe the majority plan on migrating to the U.S., arriving at Mexican destinations like Cancún and then flying to a northern border city like Tijuana, which is across the border from San Diego.
In January and February, some 30,111 Russians entered Mexico, compared with an average of 12,380 during each of the past five years, according to Mexican immigration data. The number of Ukrainians entering Mexico has also surged to 10,031 in January and February from an average of 4,078 during the same period for the past five years.
The vast majority of the Russian and Ukrainian migrants who enter the U.S. are handing themselves in at official ports of entry and asking for asylum rather than sneaking in across isolated stretches of the border, according to U.S. government data. While ports of entry are technically still closed to asylum seekers under temporary pandemic rules, some migrants—including Russians and Ukrainians—are being allowed in under humanitarian exemptions.
Most Russians and Ukrainians will likely be allowed to stay and apply for asylum or other protections in the U.S., a process that can take years. Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced a halt to deportation flights to Ukraine, Russia and seven other European nations amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainians already in the U.S. are also being offered Temporary Protected Status, protecting them from deportation.
Most of the arrivals are middle class individuals and families with the means to pay for an airplane ticket to Mexico, immigration lawyers say.
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