The family knew the war had broken out but didn't think it would come this close to Kyiv until shelling destroyed part of their house moments after the family fled.
A father, mother, and five children under the age of ten arrived at the Tijuana airport on Sunday, and hours later, at night, they crossed the border to San Diego. They were one of the last Ukrainian families that crossed the San Diego border with humanitarian shelter.
Authorities began to reject requests for asylum and refuge on April 24 at 9 p.m. from Ukrainians at the San Ysidro port of entry.
The Biden Administration activated the United for Ukraine, or U4U, program, allowing Ukrainians to request refuge through an application. The program grants Ukrainians two years of humanitarian refuge in the United States. At the same time, it cancels asylum applications at the border.
According to unofficial U.S Customs and Border Patrol data, nearly 20,000 Ukrainians have crossed the San Diego border since March 14.
Volunteers from a shelter in Tijuana flew to Mexico City yesterday to open a new shelter, so Ukrainians fleeing the war will be able to apply for refugee through U4U from there. The number of Ukrainians in transit to Mexico City to arrive in Tijuana when the Biden administration announced the change in plans over the weekend remains unclear.
According to volunteers in Tijuana, there could be thousands that arrived in Mexico City, and thousands more are anticipated in the following days.
