Migrants in Tijuana facing Covid-19

The College of the Northern Border of Mexico

The report “Migrants in Tijuana Facing COVID-19: Impacts and Consequences of Health Measures from the Actors’ Perspective” presents a preliminary analysis based on a questionnaire developed within the framework of the project “The Vulnerability of Migrants in Tijuana in the Context of the Current Public Health Crisis.” This project was developed by the Global Migration Center at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and the Observatory of Migration Legislation and Policy at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (El Colef). The questionnaire aimed to assess, from the actors’ perspective, the repercussions of the measures implemented during one of the most critical periods of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant populations in Tijuana.

Taking the perspective of actors on the ground—both human rights defenders of migrants and migrants themselves—this report presents the concerns and alarming situations they observe regarding routine and accelerated deportations, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the status of migrants in transit. We also report their assessment of housing, shelter, and hygiene problems for the migrant population, and the difficulty in accessing healthcare resources. Furthermore, we highlight the transformation of security services provided and the risks of violence and insecurity that are exacerbated in this situation. To provide transparency and context for this assessment and analysis, after a chronology and the main observations, we present the data processing used in this report and briefly address the extraordinary context of COVID-19 in Tijuana as it relates to migrant populations.

DOWNLOAD REPORT