This hall in the Mexican city of Mexicali used to play sports, and now hundreds of people, mostly Haitians, live here, many of whom wish to travel to the United States.

The number of people is much larger than expected

“We didn’t know that many would come so quickly,” says Thomas Diosdado, who runs reception camps on the site. So the preparations are not over but we are on the way.

Mexicali is located right on the border with the US state of California – for many, this is the destination of their journey, which began more than 4,000 kilometers as the crow flies from Mexicali in the vibrating Haiti. “We have to learn to live with these people. This is a good opportunity. Many other countries around the world have used migration to their advantage,” Diosdado said.

Work for newcomers

Mexican authorities recently created 700 jobs to harness the labor of newcomers and provide employment to people. Matteo Francois, who is from Haiti, thinks, “It is good in Mexicali because there are many job opportunities here. I have no plans to cross the border to look for work in the United States. I have a job here and it is better to stay here until I have a good normal life” .

About 47,000 Haitians applied for asylum in Mexico in 2021.