Russian war in Ukraine: breaking news and invasion news

Ukrainians arriving at the US-Mexico border to seek asylum on the rise Ukrainians seeking asylum in the United States sit near a border camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on April 2, 2022. (Credit: GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images) Hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war in their country have arrived in the border city of Tijuana, Mexico, to seek asylum in the United States and more are expected to arrive, a group told CNN on Saturday. Tijuana official and a volunteer. “Approximately right now in Tijuana, there are about 1,500 Ukrainians,” said Enrique Lucero, director of immigration affairs for the city of Tijuana. “We had a surprising influx in the last four days, mainly because after the conflict started we started seeing arrivals from March 11, and they were arrivals of 30 people, not the large numbers that we see now.” Inna Levien, a California resident who belongs to a group promoting a volunteer effort to help Ukrainians near the border, told CNN that the number of refugees from this country has quadrupled in the last three days. “Another 100 people have arrived at the airport in the last half hour,” she said. The volunteer group, made up of California mothers who met on Facebook, has provided families with essentials like food, blankets, tents and toys to keep children busy. Those with funds are encouraged to stay in hotels, which cost between $40 and $60 a night, Levien said. Once the migrants arrive at the border, Levien’s group puts them on a list and assigns them a number. That way they don’t have to wait in line all the time to get in. She said the wait to cross can take more than 24 hours. Lucero told CNN that he expects all migrants to enter the United States. But he added that US authorities have been slow to process them. “That’s why a lot of people have gathered. They’re processing like 100, 150 a day or even 200 a day and it takes almost three hours to process. It takes time, that’s why we’ve seen this mini-encampment on the border,” Lucero explained. The Department of Homeland Security is allowing Ukrainians, on a case-by-case basis, to be exempt from the restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on the border. between the United States and Mexico. That policy, known as Title 42, will end on May 23, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday. Tijuana has been instrumental in providing help, Levien said. The city recently converted a bus stop into a temporary shelter, and a network of churches has also sprung up to help house families while they await their turn to be processed, Levien added.Lucero told CNN queen Tijuana are also working to convert a facility. sports in a temporary shelter that allows all new arrivals to be housed.”We have been told that about 500 migrants will arrive on these next flights. it would increase to 2,000 over the course of the day,” she said. CNN has reached out to the State Department and US Customs and Border Protection, but has yet to hear back. CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.