Ukrainian Refugees Seeking Asylum Gather at U.S.-Mexico Border

TIJUANA, Mexico - Ukrainian refugees have made their way to Tijuana, Mexico, as they wait to cross the border into the United States on humanitarian parole conditions.

Numerous temporary shelters have sprung up, including one established recently in a basketball arena by volunteers from Agape Ministries.

Coordinator Alex Fedorchuk says that 2,000 refugees have already passed through their doors. Hundreds of yoga mats line the court where the refugees sleep during the night and day. He said, "So we're in Tijuana, here in Mexico. And there's lots of refugees. Until now it's up to two thousand refugees have already came. And people are coming- about 300 people every day. It's a sport arena. So we call it hub. When people are coming to the airport, we're bringing people here and they are staying here for two or three days. We are feeding people and just, for them, it's kind of taking care of them."

Inna Levien, Ukrainian encampment coordinator said, "This bus stop has been given to us by the city of Tijuana as a gesture of care. This bus stop becomes better than outside and we made it, made it home for these people."

One refugee Oksana Dudnyk from Bucha, a town near Kyiv where there are reports of Russian troops killing civilians, said that compared to home, the shelter is "a perfect place." She explained, "We are from Bucha. I think everybody in the world knows the city Bucha. Russian troops, they were inside of our house and in our neighbor's house as well. And like there's a lot of mess over there. They like stole all of the stuff- like good stuff- from all of our houses. And it's really terrifying over there. You know, if to compare with Bucha, it's a perfect place. It's perfect. I'm so thankful for all of theses guys- all of these volunteers who helps us Ukrainians, that we have food, we have place to sleep. You know, we have everything. Because like people in Mariopul, for example, they don't have anything. No water, no food, nothing."

And Leonid Bondarenko, a Ukrainian refugee who crossed into the U.S. with his family on Tuesday said simply, "I just want to say thank God we made it. God has blessed us, and we are alive and well. The trip was certainly a very hard, long trip. We are very happy – very, very happy."

Ukrainian refugee Anastasiia Derezenko said, "This is very nice, really very nice. We have food. We have sleep. Yes, it's difficult. For us, it's difficult- a little cold at night. It's cold, yes. But you know we stay not dangerous. We stay without worry. Because we think about our people who stay now in Brovary, in Kyiv, in Bucha, in Irpin."