Tijuana, July 5.- Conditions are ripe for reopening the border between Mexico and the United States, but the migrant population camped in front of Tijuana's El Chaparral border crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the country, must be removed, said Interior Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero during her visit to the border city.
"Of course, the conditions are there, which is why we are successfully vaccinating all of Baja California, and now with Sonora and the other border states, so that children as young as 18 have the opportunity to receive this vaccine and be able to travel to the United States," he said.
It is a matter that corresponds to the chancellor
"This situation is strictly the responsibility of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Marcelo Ebrard must be consulted," he clarified, announcing that the foreign minister will report on the outcome of the talks with the United States to reactivate the crossing, which has been suspended since March 2020.
He mentioned that his presence in Tijuana was for the closing of the evaluation and supervision of the 32 offices of the National Migration Institute, "and of course we also came, let's say, to establish the steps we will take to ensure that the population of El Chaparral has access to services and is institutionally attended to by all agencies."
Clearing the sentry box, one of the requirements
Regarding the reopening of the border, he recalled that one of the United States' requirements is to clear the El Chaparral pedestrian checkpoint, where around a thousand migrants from Mexico and other countries are camped. They have warned that they will not leave until they are accepted by the U.S. government, where they intend to apply for asylum.
The Secretary of the Interior assured that the people who have settled in the area since last February will receive comprehensive care and be removed from the area before the border opens.
"Establish the steps we will take to ensure that the population of El Chaparral has access to services and receives institutional care from all levels."
There is an assigned space: Bonilla
For his part, Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla Valdez indicated that progress has been made toward relocating them to another location, but he did not provide details because they have encountered problems when notifying the proposed location of a relocation.
