TIJUANA (Border Report) — About 200 migrants, mostly from Venezuela and recently expelled from the United States, rioted late Tuesday night at a Tijuana detention facility that also serves as a shelter.
For the better part of the night, firefighters, police officers, paramedics and members of Mexico’s National Guard could be seen arriving and setting up around the facility.
By Wednesday morning, Baja California immigration officials were calling the incident a disturbance and not a full-blown riot.
They said the migrants became agitated and threatened to force their way out after hearing there were plans to deport them back to Venezuela.
Adriana Espinoza, Baja’s undersecretary for migrant affairs, said: “It was just a tense misunderstanding.”
Espinoza stated that human rights activists were brought in to create a dialogue with the migrants.
She said the migrants were assured they were not going to be deported, and the situation was defused.
During the standoff, one migrant was seen being placed in the back of an ambulance.
According to Espinoza, the migrant was taken to the hospital after showing signs of dehydration.
