Caravan migrant: People in Tijuana ‘treat us like animals’

The border city of Tijuana, Mexico, has struggled to cope with the influx of thousands of migrants who have stopped there before attempting to enter the U.S., prompting concerns from members of the so-called migrant caravan and locals, The Associated Press reported.

Carlos Padilla, 57, who is traveling toward the U.S. from Honduras, told the news service that a Tijuana resident shouted “migrants are pigs” as he walked by.

“We didn’t come here to cause problems, we came here with love and with the intention to ask for asylum,” Padilla told the AP. “But they treat us like animals here.”

{mosads}The news outlet reported that other locals have thrown rocks or physically confronted the migrants, and shouted insults. Some business owners have also reportedly accused migrants of stealing or panhandling, leading to additional tensions.

While others in the city have been more welcoming, Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum said that the city is not well-equipped to handle the additional thousands of people.

The city converted multiple municipal spaces into shelters that can hold nearly 4,000 people, but Gastelum told the AP that the migrants could be there for months as they wait for the U.S. to process asylum claims.

Thousands of migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have in recent weeks made their way toward the U.S. southern border in hopes of establishing asylum as they flee violence and poverty.

President Trump demonized the caravan in the weeks before the midterm elections, painting the group as an imminent national security threat. He deployed troops to the border and signed a proclamation curbing asylum claims, though he has largely gone quiet about the migrants since the election took place.