As caravan migrants continue to pour into Tijuana’s overcrowded shelters, some San Diegans are responding with an outpouring of donations.
“Clothes, winter clothes, blankets and some toys,” said Hugo Castro, pointing to dozens of piles of plastic bags that he had stuffed into his van on Monday morning to deliver to the migrants.
Castro, director of Border Angels Tijuana, said he makes up to two trips each day from the non-profit’s headquarters in San Diego, where he picks up the donations, to Tijuana’s sprawling makeshift migrant shelters.
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He said thousands of men, women and children are living in inhumane conditions in his home city.
“It's very bad," he said. "Imagine a population of 3,000 sharing eight toilets. People are not able to shower, it’s hard to get drinking water. Sometimes they cannot leave the place. The place is surrounded by police officers.”
Castro said conditions are worsening and illnesses are evolving.
“A large number of the population is going through health issues, such as respiratory problems,” Castro said. “Some of them also have skin infections or rash.”
Castro is helping to lead an effort to collect clothes, blankets, sleeping bags and toiletries to give to the migrants. He is also trying to acquire large industrial tents to protect people from heavy rain forecast to arrive on Wednesday night.
“There are not enough tents to cover them,” he said. “We need to be able to cover the rest of the migrants who are living just covered by blankets,” he said.
Castro said his group is planning to help in every way they can, and he urged the community to do the same. He said donations can be brought to the San Diego Border Angels office located at 2258 Island Ave., near downtown.
