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Border & Immigration

Tijuana Mayor Declares 'Humanitarian Crisis' Over Migrants

A migrant child plays behind the shield of Mexican police officer in riot gear, after the group she was part of tried to cross the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018.
Associated Press
A migrant child plays behind the shield of Mexican police officer in riot gear, after the group she was part of tried to cross the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018.

The mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city and said that he has asked the United Nations for aid to deal with the approximately 5,000 Central American migrants who have arrived in the city.

Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum said that the Mexican federal government has provided little assistance and he is not going to commit the city's public resources to dealing with the situation.

RELATED: Migrants March To border In Tijuana

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Gastelum said on Grupo Formula radio Friday that Tijuana does not have the necessary infrastructure to adequately attend to the migrants.

On Thursday, his government issued a statement saying that it was requesting help from the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Gastelum said: "I am not going to spend the money of Tijuana (citizens)."