An imposing brown rust border fence stands between those on this side and the promise of the United States on the other. It is the lure of one of the busiest border crossings in the world that has attracted thousands of Ukrainians to Tijuana. With the ability to fly without a visa to Mexico, it was a popular route out of the war zone at home. Live updates on the war in Ukraine But after thousands were allowed to cross into the United States in recent weeks, the rules changed last weekend. Ukrainians must now apply through a formal US shelter program. It has left an unknown number of refugees at a dead end in Mexico, facing hundreds more miles of travel, uncertainty about whether they will be accepted and more despair that has marked their lives for weeks. Even the temporary shelter at the Benito Juarez sports center, where about a hundred refugees remain, is closing permanently this weekend. Gathered for an announcement this week. Hope was running from their faces as they were told there would be no passage to America from here. Picture: Oksana left Ukraine with her two daughters but had to leave behind her husband and son Read more: Wounded Briton arrested by Russian forces and paraded on TV “I am in a state of shock. We are devastated,” Oxana said after hearing the news. Sitting on a bunk bed with seven-year-old Kira and Zlate twins, the girls wear matching tracksuits, with their hair tied in light yellow towels. They left Ukraine, leaving Oksana’s husband and son behind, and hoped to reach the United States via Tijuana. “A lot of people have the same problem as us, but we just don’t know what we’re going to do next,” Oksana added. Image: Refugee children are among those left stranded in Mexico Read more: Two British humanitarian aid workers reportedly captured by Russian forces in Ukraine At least they can feel safe here, he said. “Children do not need to hear the sirens, they do not need to go to bed with their clothes on because they do not know what will happen at night.” For Alina, Mexico is the fifth country in which she has set up a temporary home since leaving Ukraine a month ago. “You never know what to expect in each new place,” he said. With the latest failure here, can he feel hope? Picture: Mexico is the fifth country in which Alina and her son have built a temporary home since leaving Ukraine “All day, every minute,” he said. “But then you open the news and every day is getting worse and worse.” “You can not start your life over. I do not know how to do that.” What impresses her most are the children she sees playing war these days. They pretend to fight things like “Javelins,” he says, they know the names of the real weapons of war at home. Horror will be a part of their lives forever.
