Anastasiya Polo, a spokesperson for United with Ukraine, said Ukrainians still in Europe should apply for the US government’s program and not waste money and efforts traveling to Mexico. Before the camp was established in Mexico City, Ukrainians traveled to Tijuana, on the US-Mexico border.
“We’re asking people from Europe, Ukrainians, to go through the Europe program, not come to Mexico because it’s much more expensive for them, it’s a lot of travel,” Polo said. The camp will close on June 1, but Ukrainians who remain in Mexico will continue to receive support.
The program, Uniting for Ukraine, was announced by the US government on April 21. Four days later, Ukrainians who showed up at the US-Mexico border were no longer exempt from a pandemic-related rule that has been used to quickly expel migrants without an opportunity to seek asylum for the past two years.
To qualify, people must be in Ukraine since February 11; have a sponsor, which can be a family or an organization; meet vaccination and other public health requirements; and go through background checks.
More than 6.5 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded its smaller neighbor on February 24, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.