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Local border crossings see surge in Ukrainian asylum-seekers

Ukrainian war refugees wait in Tijuana for the the opportunity to claim asylum in the United States, 29 year-old Alina Shemaneyvskaya with her 2-year-old son Nazalov (left) and 52 year-old Valentina Shemaneyvskaya (right), April 1, 2022.
Matthew Bowler
Ukrainian war refugees wait in Tijuana for the the opportunity to claim asylum in the United States, 29 year-old Alina Shemaneyvskaya with her 2-year-old son Nazalov (left) and 52 year-old Valentina Shemaneyvskaya (right), April 1, 2022.

More than 4.2 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. While the majority of those refugees have remained in Europe, more than a thousand have arrived in Tijuana to request asylum in the U.S.

The rise in refugees from Ukraine comes in the wake of the Biden administration's push to end Title 42 on May 23. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policy limited asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

KPBS Investigative Border Reporter Gustavo Solis joined Midday edition Monday to talk about what is happening along the San Diego-Tijuana border and its impacts on refugees from both Ukraine, as well as those from other parts of the world.