t’s Very Hard to Have Rights” | The Impact of COVID-19 on Refugee and Migrant Communities in Tijuana (Report from RI partners Espacio Migrante and Haitian Bridge Alliance)

Abstract

This report presents that militarized migration enforcement measures, changes in documentation policies, and border closures violate Mexican, U.S., and international law and that these deterrence policies made asylum seeker, refugee, and migrant communities in Tijuana vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19. It reveals the institutional barriers that migrants-especially non-Spanish-speaking and black migrants-have faced in Tijuana during the pandemic, especially with regard to employment and access to housing and services including health. In addition, it recommends policy changes to help address discrimination and better meet the needs of immigrants, especially with regard to documentation, legal status and access to services.